2021. What a year it was! Back in December, as the Children and Youth Committee were working on our annual report, it quickly became clear just how crazy last year really was. We basically went from all Zoom, no in-person events to begin the year and ended with in-person Sunday school classes, youth group, fellowship and mission events, and even a retreat to Living River. What a difference twelve months can make! 

Last summer, as we were planning for the new program year and getting ready to kick-off a somewhat “back to normal” fall, our focus was always on reconnecting. In everything we planned we wanted to make sure children, youth, and their families had opportunities to reconnect with their church family.

And now, as we move into the second half of the program year, our focus will be on two things. First, getting back into the church routine. Our hope is that time spent with church family will be a part of everyone’s weekly routine just like it was during pre-covid times. Weekly Sunday school classes, weekly youth group meetings, and monthly fellowship gatherings will be the norm. And as church life becomes habit, our second focus will be on moving forward. What’s next in the life of Christian Education here at FPC? Yes, the past two years were quite a challenge. But they also gave us a unique opportunity to think seriously about what is truly important; to discover what we deeply value in our lives. Our hope is that these thoughts will help shape our Christian Education for years to come.

This March I will celebrate three years here at FPC and I can honestly say there is no other congregation I would have rather spent it with. I have so loved getting to know all of you and reconnecting with you after the craziness of 2020, and now I can’t wait to move forward alongside you. The future is bright for FPC Auburn and I thank God every day that I get to be a part of it!

Thanks be to God!

-Chris Sarkowski

9 a.m. - Worship with communion in the sanctuary

9:45 a.m. - Sunday School

11 a.m. - Worship in the sanctuary

As we start the new semester, I hope you will join me in praying for and supporting the students to call us a church home away from home. One way to support UKirk is to sign up to provide a meal for our Sunday evening dinners and Bible studies. Every Sunday at 7pm, about 15 students gather to share a meal and then to dig into scripture together. Providing a meal is a tangible way to show our love and care of the college students, and it’s also a great way to get to know them. And, if cooking isn’t your speciality, you are welcome to cater a meal from a restaurant or donate to the UKirk Meal Fund (please make a check out to FPC with “UKirk Meal Fund” in the memo line).

You can find more details and the sign up to provide a meal here.

Caroline Barnett

We have a new Sign-up Genius page for those wishing to provide flowers for the Sanctuary! If you would like to cover the cost of flowers for Sunday morning worship, please sign up for a date here: https://tinyurl.com/Sanctuaryfloral.

If you are unable to sign up online, you may contact Sarah Wolak at 334-728-7853 to sign up for a date. While the Sign-Up Genius page only has one slot available for each week, you are welcome to split the cost with another family-- just be sure to write both names in the comments section. The cost of the flowers has been increased to $50 per arrangement, not including tax and delivery fee. As before, you are welcome to bring the arrangements home after the service, or to leave them to be delivered to other members of the congregation.

On January 3, the FPC Session approved the following recommendation from our COVID Task Force:

As a result of this new policy, here is what you can expect over the next several weeks in worship:

Many thanks to our COVID Task Force and Session members for continuing to discern measures for our congregation that will do our best to ensure the health and safety of our members, friends, and visitors.

All updates on our current COVID policies can be found at www.fpcauburn.org/covid

The Community Market is in the process of transitioning back to personal choice shopping from their pandemic distribution model. As a result, they are looking for individuals/groups to join them in this effort. At this time the FPC Mission Committee is considering how to coordinate this through the church, however we do not want our planning to slow things down! If you are interested in volunteering soon, we encourage you to contact Mattie Subba directly: msubba@foodbankofeastalabama.com, 334.749.8844

Please look for more details to come in the weeks ahead on how you can support the Community Market and East Alabama Food Bank through FPC's Mission Committee programming.

Children Pre-K through 5th grade

•   The nursery is now available from 9 a.m. until noon on Sunday mornings for children birth to age 3.

•   Godly Play: After the Word to Grow By (at 11 a.m. worship), children ages 4 to 1st Grade will go to the Godly Play room to worship together for the remainder of the worship service.

•   Children’s Sunday school will meet this Sunday from 9:45 – 10:45 upstairs in the children’s classrooms.

•   Worship bags are also available for all children during worship.

•   Masks are required indoors for children 3 & over and youth, as well as all adults working with them.

Jr. and Sr. High Youth

•   Mark your calendars, the next Jr./Sr. High Youth Retreat to Living River will be Feb. 25 – 27. I will send out the registration link as soon as it is posted on the presbytery website.

•   Mark your calendars, the Montreat Youth Conference for rising 9th graders through graduated seniors will be July 10-16, 2022

•   Mark your calendars, the Montreat Middle School Conference for rising 6th through rising 8th graders will be July 20-24, 2022 (this is a new conference, more info to come)

•   Mark your calendars, the Charleston Youth Mission Trip for Jr. and Sr. High Youth will be June 5-10, 2022 (this is a new retreat, more info to come)

•   Jr. and Sr. High Sunday school meets weekly from 9:45 – 10:45am upstairs in the Sr. High room.

•   Jr. High youth will meet at 4pm

•   Sr. High Youth will meet at 5pm

The church is now open from 9 a.m.-12 p.m., M-F, for any members needing to drop in on church business. If the door is locked when you arrive, please ring the bell.

Masks are still required, and for contact tracing purposes a sign-in sheet will be placed on the small table outside the kitchenette where you will be asked to provide your name and the date/time/purpose of your visit. Small group gatherings must still be arranged with your designated staff person. Thank you for your patience and understanding as the staff continues to operate without designated volunteers to answer the door and phones.

Birthdays

Jan. 23 - Wesley Anne Barnes, Joyce Bravaldo

Jan. 24 - Jackson Jolly, Anne May

Jan. 27 - Doug Cooper

Jan. 28 - Carolyn Jolly

Jan. 29 - Zachary Huddleston

Anniversaries

Jan. 27 - Conrad and Eunice Bonsi

Hope everyone is having a great week! Here are the prayer concerns for our congregation:

Elizabeth Lindahl

Diversicare

702 South 13th St

Lanett, AL 36863