Fast Facts

an e-update on life at

First Presbyterian Church

December 30, 2021

Worship - Sunday, January 2, 2022

Holiday Office Hours

The church office will be closed to celebrate the New Year on Friday, December 31. Normal office hours will resume on Monday, January 3.

Seasonal greenery and berries date is available on January 2. To provide flowers or seasonal greenery and berries in honor or in memory of a loved one, contact Margaret Fancher at [email protected] or call 234-1359. Contributions to the Flower Fund are greatly appreciated.

Changes to Sunday Morning Schedule

This Sunday, January 2nd, there will be no Sunday school or Children's Craft Time during the service. There will still be a nursery provided for our youngest disciples during the 11:00 service.

Adult Faith Formation

Beginning, Sunday, January 9th, join us in the Fellowship Hall for an informal discussion on the lectionary passages for the day. All you need to bring is your curious mind, open heart, and a willingness to delve into what the scriptures might have for us. No preparation required, and you can drop in any given Sunday without losing the thread. If you’ve got a favorite translation of the Bible, bring it. If not, don’t worry. We’ll have fun and learn from each other as listen for the Spirit in each other’s voices.

PYF

(Presbyterian Youth Fellowship)

PYF will be starting back on January 9th, with 7th and 8th graders meeting from 5:00-6:00 and 9th-12th graders meeting from 6:30-7:30. Dinner for all will be from 6:00-6:30! If you have a youth in this age range, please email Lindsay at [email protected] or Feagin at [email protected] to be added to GroupMe.

Sunday school will also resume on January 9th, from 9:45-10:40 in the PYF Annex Building.

UKirk Ole Miss extends an enormous "THANK YOU!" to all of you who have served as Tuesday night meal providers! We will soon be gearing up for our Spring semester, so if you are interested in providing meals for our gatherings, the sign-up calendar will soon be available on the ukirk website. In the meantime, if you have any questions, please email Allison at [email protected]. Again, thank you, and Merry Christmas!

Mission

Following the devastating tornadoes in western Kentucky last month, St. Andrew Presbytery immediately established a relief fund. FPC donated $5,000 to the effort. By receiving money at the Presbytery level, we hope to remain nimble as possible as needs evolve and the long-term recovery picture becomes clearer. Thank you to those who have already contributed to the fund. If you are interested in giving, mail your contribution to Presbytery of St. Andrew, 24 County Road 231, Oxford, MS, 38655 with "tornado relief" in the memo line. 

The FPC Mission Team is currently investigating opportunities for a group of volunteers from our congregation to go to Kentucky in the coming months to directly assist in the recovery effort.

Oxford First United Methodist Church and FPC are planning a five-week seminar for a dialog in racial healing this spring. Approximately ten members from each congregation will meet weekly to faithfully explore together what it means to be a more whole and united community in Christ. The seminar will be led by Dr. Cade Smith, the University's Assistant Vice-Chancellor for Community Engagement. If you would like to volunteer to participate in the seminar or have questions, please email [email protected] or call the church office. Thank you for your prayerful consideration.

OFUMC Food Distribution

On December 22nd members of FPC assisted the congregation Oxford First United Methodist Church in their monthly food distribution. Over 250 families were served. Members of the Hispanic community who are in need were also notified of the distribution through the Oxford and Lafayette school districts. Many of the clients receiving food expressed their deep and sincere gratitude, particularly three days before Christmas. Stay tuned for the date of the January distribution. If you are available, please consider offering a hand. 

The Family Crisis Services of Northwest Mississippi is a comprehensive victim services organization. It is the only nonprofit in Oxford that specifically addresses and provides services to victims of interpersonal violence--sexual assault, domestic violence, homicide, etc. Staff and volunteers are available 24/7 to provide crisis intervention services. Recently, Family Crisis Services experienced a $200,000 cut in federal funding. Six staff members, including their intervention child psychologist, were laid off. Interested in helping? Current needs include monetary donations, cleaning supplies, basic office supplies, paper toiletries, and new stuffed animals for each child that the facility receives. If you would like to donate any of these supplies, please drop them by the church office. More information is available at oxfordadvocacy.org or call 234-9929.

We would like to thank Kathleen Mayo and Cade Smith for hosting the December Doors of Hope Step 2 Dinner in the fellowship hall. Approximately 24 parents and their children were served. To celebrate the season, Billy and Julie Chadwick led the group singing Christmas carols. Large fun! Doors of Hope is an outreach program officed in the FPC education building. DOH makes available to single parents with young children temporary housing support, budget management, and other life skills training. This Step 2 Dinner is a monthly gathering for current clients to sit at table with successful alumni of the program. If you would like to volunteer to host a DOH dinner, email [email protected] or contact the church office. 

We also thank the FPC members who sponsored a DOH family for Christmas. The gifts you provided to these 12 families were likely the only ones they received. Thank you for your generosity and support. The parents and their children are deeply grateful.

Leap Frog Program is a non-profit after-school literacy and tutoring program serving at-risk students in Oxford and Lafayette County. FPC is committed to providing snacks for the sixty students enrolled in the program. We thank the Carol Barr Circle for their active participation in this ministry. The 'healthy' snack consists of juice and a finger food such as fruit, peanut butter crackers, etc. For more information or to sign up please email Patty Abbott, [email protected]. This could be your mission!

Curious about the various FPC mission activities? A new email account has been created specifically for keeping FPC members abreast of mission plans, outreach programs, committee minutes, etc. If you would like to be kept in the mission loop, contact the Mission Team at [email protected]. Your name will be placed on Mission Ministry's contact list. We look forward to keeping everyone informed of FPC's outreach opportunities.

Remember in Prayer

FPC Members: J.T. & Barbara Davis; Tommy Patrick; Marianna Ochs; Family of Lynton Dilley; Max Williams; Louise & Nolan Waller; Porter Callery; Teresa Flautt; Lydia Moak; Susan & Tom Meredith; Michele Howie; Margaret Fancher; Family of Betty Mullen White; Joe Murphey

Family and Friends: Family of Lauren "Lo" Chastain; Peter C. Wood; Doors of Hope Families; Bob Flautt; Family of Elise & William Winter; Parchman Prison inmates; Haven House residents; Our Haiti partners; Oxford & Lafayette County First Responders; Community leaders  

U. S. Military: SSgt Jason Freeland, USAF 4th Air Support Operation

Please pray, too, for those with unspecified needs.

If you wish to have a name removed or added to this list, please contact the church office.

The FPC prayer chain is ready if you or someone you know is in need. This is a confidential list that is independent from the names listed above. Please contact Carlisle Wood at [email protected] or 662-832-8606. All requests are held in strict confidence.  

Upcoming Birthdays and Anniversaries

January Birthdays:

1 Frances Crawford, Edna Wright

2 Kathryn Hill, Steve Mauldin, Aaron Barrett, Jody Scrugs, Kerry Wigginton

3 Stacy Cascio

4 Francis Webb

5 Barbara Davis

6 Nancy Giles

7 Lynn Treas, Maribel Sulllivan-Gonzalez, Lindsey Baquie, Anna Presley Harris

8 Chuck Kenwright, Cade Smith

9 Ney Williams, Ney Biedenharn, Lucille Holder

10 Lu Ann Smith

12 Donald Felts

13 Lauren Seale Hartwell, Melba Bowlin, Samuel Cribbs, Suzan Deloach

15 Caroline McIntosh

16 Hal Haney

17 Ann O'Dell, Samuel Shannon, Toni Joyner

18 Sally Hines, Catherine Servati

19 Becky Murphy

20 Peter Kondos, Suzy Phillips, Nolan Franklin

21 Ed Holcomb, Avery Atkinson, John Crawford, Shelby Goza, Carl Davis

22 Rachel Sahlein, Anita Drury

23 Geroge Sherman

24 Alli Hayward, David Coon, Pick Scruggs, Cyndi Kersey, Emory Barrios

25 Pat Lowe, Jay Chain

26 Patsy Eads, Jeffrey Hollis, Graham Staines, Mark Atkinson

27 Mary Edith Walker, Monroe Alexander, Charles McClatchy, Henry Tanner

28 Thelma Curry, Amy Wilkes

30 Wade Simpson

31 Rob Howell, Pratt Wilkinson

January Anniversaries:

1 Charles & Katherine Roos

8 Warner & Lilly Biedenharn

14 John & Linda Scarbrough

16 Ney & Dana Williams

22 Cliff & Sarah Smith

24 Dean & Yung Chow

27 McCay & Jenny Luster

30 Darren & Allyson Ashmore

If we've overlooked your birthday or anniversary and you wish to have it included in Fast Facts, please contact the church office.



These announcements are sent weekly from the church. If you don't want to receive them, or if your email address has changed, please send a message to the church office at [email protected].