Weekly News & Updates

Memorial Bloodmobile

The American Red Cross is planning to hold the First Presbyterian Blood Drive on Tuesday, February 28, 2023 in Shive Hall from 2:00-6:30 pm. The blood drive is done in memory of Harold Lloyd who organized a number of blood drives at FPC and Barbara Lloyd who was a faithful Red Cross volunteer for many years.

Donor registration is now available. To schedule an appointment go to www.redcross.org and use the sponsor code FPC. If you need assistance or information you may contact Lucy Kernodle, Site Coordinator, at [email protected]. Please schedule your appointment as soon as possible so you will get the time you want! The site, www.redcrossblood.org also gives information about guidelines about who may donate blood and what to expect as a blood donor.

A useful tool, RapidPass, enables donors to complete pre-reading and questions online on the day of the blood drive reducing their onsite registration time by 15 minutes. Visit www.redcrossblood.org/RapidPass to get your pass on February 28th. RapidPass does not take the place of scheduling an appointment.

You can put the power of faith into action and help save a life! Please consider donating blood on February 28th! Give the gift of life!

Soul Collage Workshop

At the start of a new year, we think of New Beginnings. How does "new" continue to show up for us throughout the year? What does the threshold of "new" require of us? Join us in SoulCollage® to play, relax and explore with images as we listen to the longings in our inner soul.   No artistic experience or talent is needed.  We will have scissors, glue, and lots of pictures.  You need to bring your wonder, awe and curiosity.  Take some time to nurture your soul.  Bring an open heart and join in.  As we seek to follow Jesus, it is important to listen to the guidance of the Spirit working within.  There are many ways to listen, but come and explore another possibility for spiritual practice.. 

Childcare available upon request.  Please RSVP ([email protected] or 336-228-1703 x 223) so we have enough supplies.

Lunch with the Program Staff at The Village of Brookwood and Twin Lakes

The program staff looks forward to joining our FPC residents for lunch. Invitations will be coming soon (and important RSVP details!), but make sure you have these on your calendars.

The Village of Brookwood—Thursday, February 2 at 12:00 noon

Twin Lakes—Thursday, February 9 at 12:00 noon

We hope to see you on these dates and will have time for fellowship and to tell you more about what is happening in the life of First Presbyterian.

Quiet Spaces Meditations

New Year / New Beginnings is our theme for the worship series that began on January 8, as well as our Monday Morning emailing - the Quiet Spaces meditations. Be on the lookout for these emails that will focus on the same theme as worship on that previous Sunday. May these meditations be a blessing in the new year.

OWL Reservation Procedures



By now, I’m sure you’ve heard the buzz about the OWL. It is an electronic device that allows us to create hybrid opportunities for meetings and classes. The OWL (a device that somewhat looks like an owl) has a 360 camera on the top that can capture a panoramic view of the room so that whomever is joining you via Zoom can see everyone in the room. The OWL serves as microphone and speaker as well to aid in the “togetherness” of the hybrid gathering. 

Many of you have used and enjoyed this device. Because so many people are now wanting to use the OWL, we have created some procedures for reserving the device. We hope that the OWL Reservation Procedures prevent double booking the device and provides the staff with information on who is using the device.

OWL Reservation Procedures

(created January 4, 2023)

Thank you for your interest in hybrid opportunities and using the OWL!

To keep our newest technology “decent and in order,” we have some procedures to follow.

The OWL will only be used on the church campus. 

To reserve the OWL, you must: 

• Email Charlotte Nance-Allbright ([email protected])
• State the date(s) of use
• State the beginning and ending time(s)
• Arrange and receive training from Charlotte on how to set up, use, and repackage the OWE.
• Use your personal laptop to access Zoom when using the OWL. If you do not have a laptop and need to reserve a church laptop, you may request a laptop when you request use of the OWL.
• Be able to set up the laptop, Zoom, and OWL on your own. Church staff may not be available to assist.
• Once you have been approved to reserve the OWL, you must sign the reservation calendar in the Church Office. The calendar resides on the wall by the safe.
• Find the date(s) you wish to reserve.
• Write the time on the date(s) that you will reserve the OWL.
• Print your name and phone number.
• If you are also planning on using the SMART Board with the OWL, you must list the SMART Board as part of your room set up. OWL training can include connecting it to the SMART Board.

Immediately after use, you must return the OWL to its “nest” in the vault where you retrieved it.

If you know of any damage to the OWL, please report it to Charlotte Nance-Allbright ([email protected] or 336-228-1703 x 223). 

Explore FPC Lunch



All visitors are invited to join the FPC staff on Sunday, February 5 at 11:00 a.m. in the Witherspoon Room to learn more about FPC. Many of you have been worshiping with us by livestreaming and we would love the opportunity to see you in person. Lunch will be served. Please call the church office to register: 336-228-1703.

Flower Donation Reservation Form 2023



Click HERE to view and respond to the Flower Donation Reservation Form and calendar for 2023.

Sign Up for Ushers Guild 2023



Please contact John Walton (336) 263-6512 or [email protected] for more information. SIGN UP HERE!

Faith Formation

9:00 Classes:

Enrichment Class - Room 228

NEXT ENRICHMENT CLASS IS SUNDAY, JAN. 22nd, 9:00 a.m. AT CHURCH

Jane Wellford will teach the rest of the classes through Feb. 5^th on Sundays. No Wednesday night Zooms through Feb. 5^th. 

This session will run 3 more Sundays at the church and will be Zoomed for those who cannot be physically present. If interested, you may wish to order the book that goes along with the 5 sessions, about $7 or $8 used. Zoom site below. The class will meet in Room 228 at the church, second floor, and anyone is welcomed to attend. 

The Walk: Five Essential Practices of the Christian Life

by Adam Hamilton. 

1. Worship & Prayer: A Living Hallelujah (January 8th)
2. Study: The Importance of Listening and Paying Attention (January 15th)
3. Serve: Here I Am, Lord, Send Me (January 22nd)
4. Give: Where Your Treasure Is (January 29th)
5. Share: Going Fishing, Reflecting Light (February 5th)

Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81029608209?pwd=bk1JZTJWVHo0M01BR0FicklQZWlLZz09

Meeting ID: 810 2960 8209, 

Passcode: 508WDS, 

Dial in +1 301 715 8592, Meeting ID: 810 2960 8209, Passcode: 129360

John Knox Fellowship in the John Knox Room

Led by Jim Pace at 9:00 on Sunday mornings. The theme for January is "Psalms for the Season." The Sundays in January fall within the church season of Epiphany, the season that celebrates the manifestation of Christ to the world. This series will be a study of the particular Psalms designated to be read during the Epiphany season by the church lectionary. We will analyze the Psalm assigned for each Sunday in February in light of its historical, literary, and theological characteristics and reflect upon how these Psalms might be related to the revelation of Christ to the world.

The Pointe in Room 227

Take Root in Room 203

Youth & Children please see the Associate Pastor for Youth or the Director of Christian Education for locations.

11:00 Classes

Selected Poetry of Fred Cappell - Room 201

Join the Poetry Class, led by Dr. Harry Brown, beginning January 8 at 11:00 a.m. in Room 201 to read and discuss Selected Poems by Fred Chappell. 

A native of Canton, NC, Fred Chappell took two degrees in English at Duke University, after which he taught for forty years at UNCG. Poet, novelist, and essayist, Chappell served as NC Poet Laureate from 1997 to 2002. Among his awards are the Aiken Taylor Award for Modern American Poetry, the T. S. Eliot Prize, the Bollingen Prize, an Award from the National Academy of Arts and Letters, and the Best Foreign Book Prize from the Academie Francaise. Chappell is the subject of a new documentary that recently aired on PBS NC: “Fred Chappell: I Am One of You Forever.” We will use Chappell’s collection Spring Garden: New and Selected Poems (LSU Press, 1995), which can be reasonably purchased online in used paperback. 

Christian education and faith formation is lifelong learning. Come, bring a friend, grab a cup of coffee or tea in the Welcome Center, enjoy fellowship, learn and grow.

Midweek Bible Studies Begin Next Week!

The Gospel of Matthew

In 2022 in the Midweek Bible studies we journey together through the amazing narrative that is the book of Genesis. We considered the account of creation, both of them, and attended to the stories of God's struggle with the unfaithfulness of the creation. The foundational narrative took us to Abraham, the father of Christianity, Judaism and Islam, as God established a new way or relating to the creation, through a specific people in a covenant relationship. Then we encountered Jacob, Isaac and Joseph and were confronted with the good and the bad of God's effort to form, shape and guide a people. Several times in our journey through Genesis we found ourselves turning to the Gospel of Matthew to look at the genealogy that begins Matthew's gospel.

It seemed fitting that for winter and spring of 2023 we would study together Matthew's gospel. We know that the writer of Matthew was writing for a Jewish community, the gospel of Matthew is filled with references to the Old Testament. The writer of Matthew was seeking to convince his Jewish audience that Jesus was truly the Messiah that the Old Testament teaching and prophecy had anticipated. From January until May we will consider two chapters a week. I hope you will join us on our journey through the gospel of Matthew.

Several resources that you should consider that would be helpful on our journey are as follows:

• A slender volume in the New Collegeville Bible Commentary series is written by Barbara E. Reid and is entitled "The Gospel According to Matthew." This volume is very accessible and each page has the scripture lesson with a short commentary covering the important issues raised in each chapter.
• A more in-depth volume would be Douglas R. A. Hare's commentary on Matthew in the Interpretation series, A Bible Commentary for Preaching and Teaching.

Classes will run through the week of May 9. A full list of dates is available in the church office. Tuesday Morning Men's Bible Study begins at 6:45 a.m. Wednesday Morning Bible Study begins at 10:00 a.m. Thursday Morning Women's Bible Study begins at 6:45 a.m. Mid-Week Bible Studies take place in the Witherspoon Room. All are welcome! Prior participation is not a requirement for current participation.

Come join us!

Stewart

January Mission Emphasis

Our Mission emphasis for January is the Positive Attitude Youth Center. Positive Attitude Youth Center strives to provide the youth of the community with a safe, positive, and social learning environment where they have the opportunity to mature physically, spiritually, and emotionally.

The Positive Attitude Youth Center (PAYC) was founded in 1995 by Pastor Kerry Richmond and his wife Eunice Richmond as a faith-based organization seeking to enable children and young adults to mature physically, emotionally and spiritually. Since June 1995, the Positive Attitude Youth Center has provided a variety of programs for children between the ages of 6-18, in addition to providing services for their parents.

Most of the children who attend the PAYC are from at-risk families that reside in the poverty-stricken areas in the community. We accept referrals for families transitioning from the homeless shelter to permanent housing. As well, many children who attend the Positive Attitude Youth Center live in stable homes with loving parents and guardians who wish to send their children to a quality educational and enrichment center. 

PAYC partners with the Alamance Burlington School System and the Alamance County Department of Social Services, as well as others, to connect families with the services and programs the center provides. 85% of children who attend the youth center achieve better grades and exhibit growth-mindset in school.

Our programs include after-school, tutoring, recreation and family events. The children have the opportunity to participate in a summer program which includes sports, music, Bible study, and field trips. Finally, we serve parents who can attend life skills classes throughout the year.

Furniture Ministry Update

The Furniture Ministry will reopen for normal office hours on Monday, January 9, from 1-4 pm. The Furniture Ministry offers routine officer hours each Monday from 1-4 pm. Our next workday is planned for Saturday, February 11, 2023. Thanks to all the congregation for your generous and dedicated support in 2022! This FPC ministry continues to be a blessing to hundreds of men, women, and children in Alamance County each year.

The Food Pantry

Please bring non-perishable foods for the Food Pantry. Drop them off in the collection bins outside the CDC entry anytime during the week or when you come to worship on Sunday morning.

Benevolence Farm

Check out the ministry and programs of Benevolence Farm.

Cultivating Leadership

Promoting Sustainable Livelihoods

Reaping Structural Change

Diane Barnwell

Patricia Johnson - Eddie Lee Lipscomb’s family

Jay Johnson

Ron / Sharron Joyce

Dean Vaughn

Kathy / Peter Johnson

Dale Walker

Laura Mann

Bob Ellis Family

Marion Stadler

Bill/Annelle Coble

Christian Sympathy is expressed to Betsey Aldrich and her family at the death of  Dave Aldrich, her husband, on Tuesday, January 10, 2023.  A Service to the Witness of the Resurrection will take place on February 26 at 2:00 p.m. at Twin Lakes May-Foley Chapel.

 Please note: 

Requests for prayer are intended to be private and confidential. Please be respectful of the privacy of those on the list. When in doubt, please consult with one of the pastors.

Pastor on Call January 20-22: Stewart Rawson (803-348-6143)