First News August 10, 2022

August 14th - Both Worship Services in the Sanctuary August 21st - 8:55 Worship in the Fellowship Hall and 11:00 Worship in the Sanctuary August 28th - 8:55 Worship in the Fellowship Hall and 11:00 Worship in the Sanctuary

Interested in joining First Greer or learning more about the church? We are offering new member classes on August 21st and 28th at 10:00 a.m. in the fellowship hall. On August 21st, our Clerk of Session, Nick Nicholson, will lead a discussion on church polity. And, on August 28th, Elder Elizabeth Clayton will offer a history of First Greer. We'll also share ways to get involved with the church's mission and ministry. Those wishing to join the church will meet with the Session on August 28th and will then be welcomed into membership during the 11:00 a.m. worship service. If you have questions of would like more information, please contact Patty White.

Mission Trip to the Ferncliff Disaster Assistance Center in Little Rock, AK October 8th – October 15th Time will be spent preparing Presbyterian Disaster Assistance Gifts of the Heart Kits and working with area mission agencies such as food banks, soup kitchens, agencies assisting women and children, etc. (Work available for all physical abilities.) Trip capacity is 24 people with accommodations in the Williams Lodge, motel style, three-person rooms.  This trip is open to all Foothills Presbytery church leaders and members! Cost is $350 per person (Cost of lodging and food on travel days to be determined). REGISTER NOW:  Please email Peggy Swann for more information and to register! This trip is sponsored by Foothills Presbytery Committee on Shared Ministry

Reflections from Al Several years ago I attended a Jewish service and in their worship book was this prayer of confession—real, comprehensive, and balanced—suitable for us Presbyterians as well.  Yom Kippur Confessional Leader: For the sin we have committed before You and before us by being so preoccupied with ourselves that we ignored the social world in which we live. People: For the sin we have committed by being so distracted toward the social world that we have ignored our own spiritual development. Leader: For the sin we have committed by blaming ourselves for things that were out of our control. People: For the errors we committed by denying our responsiblity for at least some of our unhappiness. Leader: For the sin we have committted by not forgiving others. People: For the sin we have committed by not forgiving ourselves. Leader: For the mistakes we made by trying to control those we love. People: For the mistakes we made by hurting others to protect our own egos. Leader: For the mistakes we made by getting involved in things that do not matter. People: For the mistakes we amde by not believing we were good enough to receive love or deserving enough to receive good. Leader: For the mistakes we made by not trusting one another or even ourselves. People: For the mistakes we made by doubting our basic goodness and value. Leader: For the mistakes we made by thinking we ere so far gone that we couldn't change. People: For the sins we committted by not taking care of our bodies. Leader: For the sins we committed by not taking care of our minds. People: For the mistakes we made by hiding our real selves becasue we were so afraid. Leader: For the mistakes we made by arrogantly believing that we and our opinions were better than others. Leader: Have mercy on us, we pray.

Faith Formation is sponsoring a group outing to the Furman football game on Thursday, September 1st at 7:00 p.m. Churches in Foothills Presbytery that support UKirk at Furman, the PC(USA) student group, can buy tickets to the game and sit together as a group. The tickets are $28 and include a concession voucher, Furman hat and post game autographs with the Furman team. Also, UKirk Furman has extended an invitation to stop by their student tailgate to fellowship with students before the game. Hope to see you there! Click here for more information and to puchase tickets.

The Faith Formation Ministry Team is sponsoring an “all church book read” this summer to continue our conversation about issues of justice. We have selected “Just Mercy” by human rights lawyer Bryan Stevenson. Join us in reading this powerful story about the redeeming potential of mercy. Copies are available in the church office for $10.00. We will gather for discussion on August 28th at 4:00 p.m. in the fellowship hall.

Want to learn handbells? Join us for Joyful Noise Ringers starting Aug. 28th @ 1pm. Beginner to early intermediate level with a one month commitment. Great for youth and adults! Contact Lisa Dillard by August 21st. Thank you to our Summer Songbirds! Wendi and Lisa loved having you in worship! Won’t you join us? Choir rehearsals resume August 17th at 7:30 p.m. All are welcome!  Top Reasons to Sing in the Choir… It's a great place to make friends. Music nerds are the best people in the world. You'll gain another family! "Choir Practice" is secret code for an hour of worship. A night away from the busy stresses of life leaves you feeling refeshed and ready to tackel the rest of your week. You don't have to win American Idol to be in the choir. Seriously. We promise you are good enough! You don't even have to know how to read music. Skills of listening, repeating, and a sense of rhythm will carry you a long way! It's good for your health. Music is stress-relieving! People who are involved with music live longer. Making music is the only activity that uses both sides of your brain simultaneously. Attendance is flexible. Come as much as possible and when you can. Allowances are made for real life. You have reserved seating. You have the inside scoop on who slept in worship. And Will's hair looks really nice from the back! The Holy Spirit lives in the choir loft. . . .because it didn't sound like that in rehearsal and we must have gotten help from somewhere! "To sing is to pray twice." Remember what St. Augustine said. Final word: worship. Singing is one of the best ways to worship and serve our God!

A Note from Amy Couch - a project was presented to this year’s VBS participants and, wow, did they listen! During the week, food items were collected to fill backpacks for students at Dunbar Child Development Center and at Greer Middle School. Each day, the children brought items that surpassed the previous day’s total. The items are now securely shelved in the Dunbar pantry and are ready to be packed when school begins.   Current shelved totals for each item are as follows: 365 breakfast items, 334 cans of vegetables, 391 entrees, 445 dessert items, 837 drinks, and 731 snacks. That seems like a lot, right?? Keep in mind that each week last year, our volunteers packed 40 breakfast items, 50 cans of vegetables, 50 entrees, 50 dessert items, 50 drinks, and 50 snacks. At that rate, our supply dwindles in a hurry! And, because of the rise in food prices, we are anticipating even more participants in the program this year.   Thank you for your amazing help with this year’s VBS mission project. Thank you also for your consistent and willing participation in the Backpack Program for the past several years. With your continued help, this year will yield even more success in feeding many hungry students.   In Matthew 25, Jesus likens feeding the hungry to ministering to himself. “I was hungry and you gave me food. I was thirsty and you gave me drink” (25:35). In caring for the hungry children in our community, we are following Christ’s command.

This year's Vacation Bible School Food Truck Party was a huge success. We had 60 children participating throughout the week and we had over 40 volunteers who helped in one way or another to make VBS a success AND we filled the Backpack Buddies Pantry! All the fun and fellowship we had centered around learning that we are all fed by God's love for us. Thank you so much to everyone who helped and participated! Take a look back at the week by clicking the link below to see pictures from Vacation Bible School.

Click here to check out photos from our great week at VBS!

Upcoming Youth Events August 14th: Blessing of the Backpacks in 8:55 & 11:00 worship August 21st: 6th - 12th Grade Kick Off Pool Party at the Driggers' home from 3:00-5:00

The First Presbyterian Greer book club will hold its first meeting of the 2022-2023 year on Sept. 6 at 3 p.m. in the Agape Room at the church. Our first book is Rules of Civility by Amor Towles, with the discussion being led by Louise Ables. All are invited to attend the book club discussions which are held the first Tuesday of each month from September through June at 3 p.m. For more information or to be added to the book club email roster, please contact Jenny Munro at [email protected] or 864-908-6148.

Save the date for our Fall Bible Study! Beginning September 7th, join us each Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. in upstairs Kirk Hall as Reverend Dottie Metropol leads a study of Psalm 62. We’ll be using Margaret Guenther’s book entitled, “My Soul in Silence Waits”. Copies are available for $10.00 in the church office.

September 7th - Adult Bible Study Begins at 10:30 a.m. September 11th - Rally Day and Stewardship Kickoff

Prayers for the FPC Family Luanne Baker Dick & B.J. Baldwin John Cuturilo Glennis Griner Rob Hughes Joe & June Johns Abbie McWilliams Rita Moseley Tripp Smith Phil Thompson Jean Tressler Ed Williams

To my dear church family -  Thank you so much for the cards, visits, food, and most especially your prayers following Roy’s death. I am also very grateful for your presence and support during the celebration of his life on July 16th. May God bless each and every one of you for your expressions of love to me and my family. Sincerely, Billie Coker The next issue of First News is August 31st. If you have content for the newsletter, please email it to Lisa Johnson at [email protected] by Friday, August 26th.

864-877-3612   www.fpcgreer.org

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