“Keeping the Promises”

Pentecost Sunday was wonderful! The colors in the sanctuary and that many of you were wearing helped us envision the day when violent wind and tongues of fire came to fill hearts and give birth to Christ’s church. Confirmation is always the highlight of Pentecost and it was such a blessing to welcome four new members into the church. Every year at confirmation we are reminded of our baptisms and the covenant we make by those waters. The covenant to nurture, love, and support the person being baptized, whether an infant or an adult. For those who are baptized when they are young, it is an incredible privilege to watch them grow into the people God created them to be. And, of course, when they are confirmed, watching them claim the faith as their own.

Confirmation is always a moving service for me because I look out with joy and recall the many people and countless ways this congregation nurtures and loves one another, especially its children. A love that is often first shared in the nursery where babies come to know that the church is a place of love and comfort. And then, in Ms. Helton’s class where children learn that if God loves them more unconditionally than Ms. Helton, God is, indeed, good. From there, it is on to Sunday school, Kid’s Connection, and Youth Group. At each stop, at every age, whether in Sunday school, worship, or running the halls with doughnuts and orange juice, our children are met with love.

So many of the things a congregation does to honor the baptismal vows we make are small, almost imperceptible acts of love that are impossible to quantify. This is the nature of ministry. It is why we often struggle to measure our “success.” Afterall, you can count the number of baptisms you have in a year, but you can never count how many times the promises made by those waters have been kept. But we know which one of these two things is most important, the one that cannot be counted. And we also know that according to Jesus, faithful discipleship happens when we lose count and gladly serve God by loving others.

On that first Pentecost, there was no counting. When The Breath rushed in everyone lost count of everything used to measure worthiness and success. In that moment of unity and understanding, all that mattered was the depth and power of God’s love and the call that this love placed on their hearts. A call that remains today. Fulfilling this call is not easy - we often fail - but it is a tremendous privilege to walk alongside one other as we seek to love God and neighbor in ways far too many to count. 

Grace and peace,

Will

Confirmation Class 2026

McNeill Lister, Sam Shelburne, Javi Torres, and Rachel Woodward

The Associate Pastor Nominating Committee (APNC) continues to meet weekly. We are making steady progress toward our initial goals of completing the Ministry Discernment Profile and discerning the competencies needed by potential candidates for the Associate Pastor position. 

The Presbytery’s guidelines for this process provide an organized framework for steps as we move forward. The committee respectfully discussed our reasonings behind what competencies we see the most value in and why, how these apply to the future of the church and scoring them in a way that we believe will help match us with the best potential candidates. We remain grateful for your continued prayers as we stay in conversation about the hopes and needs of the congregation, and will keep you regularly updated. 

In peace and joy,

The APNC - Missy Nicholson & Ginger Mauney, Co-Chairs, Paul Govan, Kamin Lambertson, Ann Drayton Lister, Robert Lynn, Leanna McCord, and William Shelburne, Jr.

Mission and Outreach News

Did you know that our church has a Helping Hands Ministry? This group of volunteers helps members of our church family by assisting with everyday needs around the home. Whether it’s minor repairs, yard work, moving furniture, or other small projects, this ministry exists to offer care, encouragement, and support to those who may need an extra set of hands. 

If you would like to join the Helping Hands Ministry, please contact the church office or reach out to Deacons, Paul Govan paul.govan2@gmail.com

or Al Jenkins aljenkins917@gmail.com

Check out this poster from the staff at Dunbar Child Development Center to say "thank you" for this congregation's faithful support throughout the 2025-2026 school year.

A Note from Emily - "Poetry & Prayer"

I recently had the opportunity to speak at a women’s prayer ministry about the relationship between poetry and prayer, which is something that I have lived with most of my life but had never quite articulated before. I must confess that I do not have the kind of disciplined prayer life that I feel like I should have but find that my writing is its own form of prayer, and one that feels deeply authentic to me, even if it is not “traditional” or, at this point in my life, particularly disciplined. I find in my own poems expressions of confession, lament, longing, protest and praise that call to mind the Psalms, which is the poetry in scripture that Christians tend to be most familiar with. I’ve even written my own version of Psalm 23, “The Lord is my Midwife”!

In fact, the first poem of personal significance that I remember writing was a kind of confession that began, “I am like a red, red rose / caged by a white picket fence.” It was the confession of an eighth grade perfectionist and oldest child trying always to be “good,” and feeling lonely and unseen in the process. I still know it by heart, not only because it is relatively short (and rhymes), but also because it said something true about myself that I had not previously articulated and needed to. Practicing honesty (even when painful) in our prayer life is something that poets can often help us with–not only in the Psalms, but also contemporary poets writing about their own experiences such as Sharon Olds, Marie Howe, and Maggie Smith.

This July, during our 9:00 a.m. intergenerational Sunday School series, we will explore together prayers of adoration, confession, thanksgiving, and supplication using Psalms 100, 51, 136 and 13. Whatever your personal prayer practice, I trust that looking at these scriptures together across the generations will be meaningful for all. Plan to join us!

Peace,

Emily

Children & Youth News

Ameka Cruz Serving as Delegate to

the 227th General Assembly

Ruling Elder Ameka Cruz will be traveling with a group from Foothills Presbytery to attend the biennial General Assembly of the PCUSA in Milwaukee, June 22-July 2. At its May 16th Stated Meeting, Foothills Presbytery commissioned the following delegates: Phil Beckwith (RE, St. Andrews), Frances Cox (Young Adult Advisory Delegate, Eastminster), Ameka Cruz (RE, First Greer), Diane Lee (RE, North Anderson Community), Lynn Miller (TE, Limestone), Audrey Reese (TE, Westminster, Westminster), Michael York (TE, Central).

As the highest council of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), the General Assembly is made up of delegates from the church's 166 presbyteries, with teaching elders and ruling elders represented in equal numbers. These individuals gather for the business meetings of committees and plenary to discern the future of the church and make decisions that are implemented throughout the life of the PC(USA).

We are grateful to Ameka for her service to Foothills Presbytery and our denomination.

Upcoming Fellowship Opportunities

Luanne Baker

Tom Buczkowski

Stuart Mauney

Judy Mirick

Bob Moss

Terri Moss

Donna Palmer

Myra Wood

Our sincere sympathy to the family of Katie Heile following her death on May 10th. A memorial service was held at Lexington United Methodist Church in Lexington, SC on Saturday, May 15th. 

We extend our deepest sympathy to the Baldwin family following B.J.'s death on May 14th. A service and visitation was held at FPC Greer on May 24th. 

Our deepest sympathy to Connie and Bill Harrill following the death of Connie's mother, Barbara Young, on Thursday, May 21st. A service was held at The Wood Mortuary on May 26th.

FPC Greer Financial Summary

Year to Date Actual Income

as of 04/30/26 = $377,260.00

Year to Date Budgeted Income

as of 04/30/26 = $303,140.00

Variance = +$74,120.00

Thank you for supporting the mission and ministry of FPC Greer!

Click Here to View the Latest Church Photos Including Pentecost and Confirmation Sunday!

The next issue of First News is June 23. If you have content for the newsletter, please email it to Lisa Johnson at lisaj@fpcgreer.org by Monday, June 22.