Organized on New Year’s Eve 1871, First Presbyterian Church has been a beacon of Christian faith and hope where “cross the crowded ways of life” in downtown Durham for 150 years. | |
FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
"Downtown by history and by choice"
FPC Bi-Weekly Newsletter
January 25, 2022 - Issue 2
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Contact Valerie in the church office if you encounter missing or non-working links in this email. | |
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In this issue you will find the following:
- Pastoral Letter
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In Our Thoughts & Prayers
- Stewardship/Ways to Give
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Worship info/ 150th Anniversary Celebrations
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Faith Formation for Children
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Youth Corner
- Faith Formation for Adults
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Congregational Life/Fellowship Events
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·Service & Mission Opportunities·
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From the Pastor/Head of Staff
Dear friends,
In the past month, two spiritual leaders who greatly influenced our world in the ways of peace and reconciliation, have died. Desmond Tutu on December 26 at age 90 and Thich Nhat Hahn on January 22 at age 95. Tutu was an archbishop in the Anglican Church in South Africa and helped lead that country out of apartheid and into a place of healing and reconciliation. Hahn, known to friends as Thay, was a Vietnamese Buddhist monk and an advocate for peace and non-violence. Both were writers, poets, teachers, and human-rights activists. Both exuded peace and joy and promoted mindfulness and a balance with all creation.
Their deaths come as we continue to struggle with how to live safely together during a pandemic, and as we seek to understand how to balance our need for community and connection with our desire for health and wholeness for all. Their deaths also invite us to reflect on who they were and what they gave to their communities and to the world.
Perhaps for you, as for me, their deaths invite memories of their warmth and joy, their smiles and wisdom. Perhaps you are also stirred to consider how we also might know such peace and mindfulness in our own lives. I find myself thinking that they reminded me a lot of Jesus – the human side of Jesus, that is, the Jesus who loved, laughed, and leaned into relationships with others, particularly those on the margins. They reminded me of Jesus who listened closely and cared deeply, and of Jesus who stood fiercely against injustice and was an advocate for the voiceless. They reminded me of Jesus who regularly stepped away for prayer and silent reflection before jumping back into the middle of the action. I know they were not perfect, but they seemed to want to be as close to the fullness of God as they could be, and they found that closeness in the ongoing, daily practices of forgiveness, reconciliation, hospitality, compassion, gratitude, generosity of spirit, simplicity of living, mindfulness, meditation, and prayer.
In this winter of our discontent, I am grateful for the lives of these two men, for what they have taught me, and for what they will continue to teach us along life’s way. A verse from the chanting book at Plum Village (founded by Thich Nhat Hahn) offers a simple reminder of how to live fully into the day ahead:
I vow to offer joy to one person in the morning,
And to relieve the grief of one person in the afternoon.
I vow to live simply and sanely,
Content with few possessions,
And I vow to keep my body healthy.
I vow to let go of all worries and anxieties
In order to be light and free.
In other words, writes Tutu:
We are each made for goodness, love and compassion. Our lives are transformed as much as the world is when we live with these truths.
In these days, whatever the challenges, griefs, unknowns or fears you face, may you live into the goodness, love, and compassion God has so graciously given you. And may you and the world be transformed as you do.
With love,
Mindy
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CONCERNS:
Paul Cornsweet
Harold Dunlap
Kerry Holbrook
Mitzi Lesher-Thomas
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SESSION DIGEST
In their meeting on January 24, 2022, the Session of First Presbyterian Church:
1) Shared prayer, reflections, and joys and concerns;
2) Approved the baptism of Stephen Davis Champion, son of Megan Champion and grandson of Susan Buck and Lenore Champion;
3) Met with Jane Williams and church house resident Omar Guess;
4) Heard a report from Vision Committee members Paul Baldasare and Karen Romines about revised renovation and expansion plans from the architects (revisions based on congregational feedback – to be shared in upcoming weeks);
5) Learned that pledges for 2022 are at 88% of overall goal;
6) Discussed a recommendation from the Personnel Committee regarding inflation and cost of living increases for staff in 2022;
7) Approved a love offering for Mitzi Lesher-Thomas to help with hospital and treatment expenses (more information to come);
8) Supported a proposal from the Creation Care sub-committee to work with RAFI (Rural Advancement Foundation, International) and connect with local farmers of color to provide Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) shares for our congregation and partner congregations;
9) Approved a proposal from the Service and Mission Committee to have one of the mission components of our upcoming capital campaign (spring 2022) be for the support of a part-time coordinator for the tutoring program at Iglesia Emanuel for three years;
10) Elected Emily Wilkins and Conrad Carter to attend the February 26, 2022 meeting of New Hope Presbytery (Zoom).
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2022 Pledges At a Glance
~ As of January 24, 2022 ~
Pledges: 168
Amount: $940,754.80
Pledge Goal: $1,068,000.00
Percentage of Goal: 88.09%
Needed: $127,245.20
We are off to a good start! Thank you! If you have yet to make your pledge, it's not too late! You can return your form by mail, or go online to the church's website and click DONATE. Need a pledge form, or have questions, contact Tom Bloom (919-682-5511), Business Administrator.
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Ways to Give to First Presbyterian Church
CHECK - payable to “First Presbyterian Church” either during the worship service or via mail (305 E. Main Street, Durham, NC 27701).
BILL PAY initiated by you through your bank or other financial institution. This is usually a free service and can be used on a one-time or a recurring basis. This is the most cost-effective and easiest way to give automatically.
DIRECT DEBIT (monthly) from a checking account. An authorization form can be obtained from Tom Bloom (t.bloom@firstpres-durham.org).
TEXT GIVING: Please contact Tom Bloom, Business Administrator, at t.bloom@firstpres-durham.org for instructions.
APPRECIATED STOCK: Please contact Tom Bloom, the Business Administrator, at 919-682-5511 (or t.bloom@firstpres-durham.org), for information and instructions.
CREDIT or DEBIT CARD or CHECKING ACCOUNT: Click on the DONATE button on our website (www.firstpres-durham.org). This can be set up on a one-time or recurring basis. If you wish your payments to satisfy a pledge, please be sure you’ve made a pledge (pledges can be made via the website or contact the church for a paper form).
CHARITABLE DISTRIBUTIONS from an IRA: Members aged 70½ + who own an IRA may be able to make a qualified charitable distribution directly to First Presbyterian from your IRA and have that gift satisfy a required minimum distribution for this year. Please contact your IRA administrator if you wish to consider this giving option, the Business Administrator, Tom Bloom, can provide any FPC information needed by the plan administrator.
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Critical! Critical!
Blood Supply is at a ten-year low.
Duke Hospital has only a one-day of blood supply available each day.
Doctors are having to make hard decisions
concerning use of blood.
FPC Hosting Community Blood Drive
Thursday, February 3, 2022
1:00-6:00 p.m. at FPC in Watts-Hill Hall
Sign up online at RedCrossBlood.org using code: firstpres
FPC contact/organizer: Julie Whiddon
foxylady2642@yahoo.com or 919-730-6673
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SAVE THE DATE: June 18, 2022
FPC's Racial Equity Task Force and Service and Mission are helping to fill a bus on June 18, 2022 to the Poor People’s Campaign March and Rally in Washington. People can sign up to go on the bus or they can support someone going on the bus that cannot afford to pay their way (cost is typically $100).
Click here for more information about this event. Your support is appreciated.
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Worship is live streamed until further notice.
Click WORSHIP from the church’s website opening page
to watch worship live each Sunday at 11:00 a.m.
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Sunday, January 30
4th Sunday in Ordinary time
Worship online at 11:00 a.m.
Lori Pistor, preaching
Lori was ordained and installed at FPC and served as Associate Pastor 1993-2003. She and Terry Allebaugh were married here in 2001. Having served numerous churches in the Presbytery as interim minister, she is currently serving West Raleigh Presbyterian, this time as the Pandemic Pastor, a support position created ‘for a few months n May 2020. Mitzi and Lori were colleagues at Cary Presbyterian.
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Sunday, February 6
5th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Worship online at 11:00 a.m.
Mindy Douglas, preaching
The 150th Anniversary Worship Celebration scheduled for
February 13, 2022 has been postponed due to the pandemic.
A new date will be announced soon.
Sunday, February 20 - FPC youth will lead our worship
Sunday, February 27 - Mackey Alston returns as our McPherson Lecturer
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Until further notice, all children's classes will meet via Zoom from 10:00-10:30 a.m. on Sunday mornings.
There will be an outdoor option for Pre-K--3rd grade, led by Amy Sanchez. This option will run from 10:00-10:30 a.m. The general format will be:
- Story
- Check-in
- Prayer
- Play on playground
***Note: If there is inclement weather, or just too cold, we will NOT be able to meet for this outdoor option***
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FAITH FORMATION FOR ADULTS | |
The Faith and Community Class
is on winter break.
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FAITH FORMATION:
LECTIONARY CLASS
9:45 - 10:45 a.m. (ZOOM LINK)
Our class will meet remotely, not in person until further notice.
Our discussion begins at 9:45 a.m., preceded by sharing of news and concerns at 9:35, and we’ll end at 10:45.
January 30: Some of the greatest figures in the Bible were called prophets. Does the prophetic call guarantee prestige and honor? Do prophetic powers bring security and success?
February 6:
A voice of authority. A voice that speaks, and you know it is true. A voice that commands, and you obey. Where does that authority come from? Do we recognize it when we hear it?
Join us via Zoom (https://zoom.us/j/194508837).
For phone access (audio only), call 253-215-8782.) If you need a copy of the handout of scripture readings, contact David Smith.
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FAITH FORMATION:
JOURNEY'S CLASS
We meet on Sundays
9:45-10:45 a.m. ZOOM LINK
Journeys will discuss Reynolds Price’s Letter to a Man in the Fire: Does God Exist and Does He Care? The class will cover the section from page 29 to page 60 of the letter.
As always, you can participate without having completed the assignment and classes start at 9:45 a.m. via Zoom.
We are meeting by Zoom only at this link: https://ncsu.zoom.us/j/9128525675.
For more information on this class, contact Andy Henry.
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FAITH FORMATION:
BECOMING
All who are 'Becoming' more curious, more faithful and looking for conversation partners join us Sunday mornings on zoom as we discuss Rob Bell's 2011 book LOVE WINS: A Book About Heaven, Hell, And The Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived.
ZOOM LINK
Sundays, 9:45-10:45 a.m.
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FAITH FORMATION:
MnMs CLASS
Sundays at 8:00 p.m. ZOOM LINK
We are discussing "Preaching the Luminous Word" by Ellen F. Davis.
We are in need of a leader for this Sunday, January 30, so please let Mary Berry know if you would like to lead. You can also sign up on the Google doc.
And as Emily Diy mentioned in her email, our books have arrived! To pick up a copy:
1. Pick up at Emily and Carlo's home on Yorkdale Court, Durham. Emily will leave the books on their front porch. Questions or lost? Emily's cell is 336-202-3597 and Carlo's cell is 310-529-2972.
2. If you can't make it to their house, Emily is happy to put a book in the mail, drop it by your house, leave it at FPC, or find a spot to meet up.
New faces are always welcome via Zoom!
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WINTER BOOK STUDY
January 11 - March 2 2022
Here is the Zoom link (it will be the same each week, so save to your calendar if you can): ZOOM LINK.
View the SCHEDULE HERE.
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News from Growing thru Grief
Growing thru Grief offers small group support to those who are grieving the loss of a loved one. Here is our schedule for the month of February:
Feb. 1 The Complicated Emotions of Grief, by Margaret Albert
Feb. 8 The Myth of Closure, by Nell Noonan
Feb. 15 Using Art to Navigate Grief, by Tracy Lamar
Feb. 22 Grief Waves, by Donna Kaye
Our 4:00 p.m. meetings begin with a presentation about a part of the grief process and then we break into small groups for conversation and sharing. With the pandemic, we are meeting on zoom, though we hope to return to in-person meetings. To register, contact admin@growingthrugrief.org by 8:00 a.m. on the Monday before the meeting.
Growing thru Grief is sponsored by a coalition of religious and civic organizations; there is no charge to attend.
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SERVICE AND MISSION OPPORTUNITIES | | | | |
