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NEWS @ FIRST
September 2, 2022
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All are welcome at First Presbyterian Church!
We hope that you experience the love of God
and of this congregation as we worship,
celebrate, and serve with one another.
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SUNDAY, September 4, 2023
TWO WORSHIP SERVICES
9:00 AM & 11:00 AM
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Letter to the Congregation following the
Congregational Meeting
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COVID Update
On September 1, 2022, the CDC assessed Sarasota County’s COVID risk level as “medium.”
Thank you for doing what we can to slow the spread of the virus. Since we have now returned to a “medium” risk assessment in the county, masks will be optional for those who are fully immunized.
Below is an easy-to-use CDC link to show current risk assessment by county:
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Thank you, Molly Hornerheadline | |
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Please join us in thanking Molly Horner for the time and commitment she has to our church family. We regret to share with you that Molly will be stepping down from her position as FPC Children and Youth Coordinator, effective Sunday, Sep 11th. We’ve been fortunate that until now, Molly’s full time job was flexible enough to allow her to serve our children and youth. However, the demands of her full time job have changed and she is no longer available to do both jobs. We are grateful for the love and joy she brought to our community, and we wish her well in all of her endeavors!
We will be looking to fill the part-time position of Children and Youth Coordinator as soon as possible. In the meantime, the Education and Formation Committee will be working hard to meet the needs of our families with Sunday school, service opportunities, and other programming this fall. If you are interested in volunteering with our committee, please let us know!
Emily Weitekamp and Carrie Mills
Co-Moderators, Education and Formation
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The Education & Formation Committee wants to hear from you!
Planning is underway for the upcoming year of opportunities for our entire congregation to learn about and grow closer to God. The Education & Formation Committee seeks information and ideas from you to help continue to shape this vision. Please take a few minutes to complete the online survey using the link/QR code to contribute your opinion. The survey will remain active until the end of September, although we will begin reviewing responses as they are received. Please reach out to Emily Weitekamp or Carrie Mills with your questions.
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Children and Youth News
Mark your calendars! Sunday school begins September 11th. For the first four weeks, we will be learning about the practice of “making peace,” looking at where it shows up in the Bible and how we can practice it in our own lives. See you there!
We are making plans for a fun-filled and meaningful fall together! Please fill out the Information & Permission Form below for each child or youth who will be participating in Sunday School and/or other programs.
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Town Hall Meeting
Sunday, September 18 at 10:05 a.m.
Recently the congregation was asked what their dream for our church is. The responses have been very helpful in guiding the Session and Stewardship Ministry Team. Together we are holding a town hall meeting on Sunday, September 18 at 10:05 a.m., in the Fellowship Hall, to share the responses of our dreams for the future of FPC. If you are unable to be present, there will be three additional town hall meetings: Sunday, September 18 at 12:15 p.m. in Fellowship Hall and Wednesday, September 21 at 1:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m., both by Zoom.
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Fellowship Hour - Sundays Between Services
Are you hungry or thirsty, and looking for conversation between the 9:00 and 11:00 a.m. services? The Membership and Fellowship Committee invites all church members and friends to come and enjoy fellowship and refreshments every Sunday at 10:00 a.m. in the Fellowship Hall. Enjoy hot and cold drinks along with a multitude of baked goods, fruit, crackers, and cheese. This is a good time to reconnect with people you haven’t seen for a long time and to meet new people.
If you would like to help the team on occasion with setup, cleanup, or bringing snacks, speak to anyone you see setting up or clearing up, or contact Joanne Simons, [email protected], or Sue Hargis Spigel, [email protected].
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Invest in Children
FIRST PRESBYTERIAN AT BRENTWOOD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
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Our church was featured twice on FaceBook following the breakfast served by volunteers from the Invest in Children Initiative for the teachers and staff of Brentwood Elementary School on their first day back! One post was from our own FPC office with several photos and the other was from Brentwood with additional photos. The note that accompanied the photos from Brentwood said this:
HUGE “Thank you” to First Presbyterian Church!! They gave our staff a warm welcome back on August 3 — a beautiful breakfast! We are so thankful for their commitment to loving on our staff and students. We look forward to seeing our volunteers back on campus this year.
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Read the letter and find out more about the Presbyterian Women
Exciting things are in the plans for this year!
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FPC's Weekly All Faiths Food Distribution
We have expanded our food offering and are now averaging over 100 families per week!
Join us on Thursday mornings to volunteer. We start packing food at 8:30 a.m. and serve from 10:00-11:30 a.m.
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Join the FPC Mission Trip
to Our Partner Church in Cárdenas, Cuba
February 9 – 15, 2023
Interested individuals and families may now sign up for the planned trip to Juan G. Hall Presbyterian Church in Cárdenas, Cuba, in the province of Matanzas. Some members of our congregation visited in two previous trips, and Pastor Alison Infante Zamora spoke here in 2017. COVID delayed us from building on the relationship that we had started—but we are ready to begin anew.
The purpose of this trip is to meet and continue to develop our personal relationships with members of Juan G. Hall and to learn about their culture, trials, and achievements while sharing our own. A detailed itinerary is on the link below and in August Cross Connections. We anticipate the cost of this trip to be about $1,500 (US dollars). Financial assistance from the Mission and Justice Committee will be available.
For specific information about the area and what it’s like, contact Sue Hargis Spigel, [email protected] or (941) 735-8786, or Graham Hart, [email protected], for information about their experiences in Cuba. For details about the Cuba Partnership go to https://www.cubapartnersnetwork.info/. To get a feel for Juan G. Hall go to their Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/Iglesia-Presbiteriana-Reformada-Juan-G-Hall-en-C%C3%A1rdenas-1096173980413073/?ref=br_rs
A planning group (Dave Householder, Rachel Martin, Jay Swick,
Sue Hargis Spigel, Karen Olson, and Graham Hart) is working out the details. Talk to any of these folks to learn more. We will need both “senders” (folks to pray, help get things ready, and provide transportation to and from the airport, etc.) and “goers” to make the trip possible. To sign up, send a note to [email protected] with what you would like to do.
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Cowden-Smith Library Hours
Library open Monday – Friday
10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Sundays, 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon
The library book cart in the narthex offers a varied selection of our newer books from which you can choose, including some children's books. No due dates; simply return when you finish with them. A sign-out sheet is on the cart.
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NEXT FPC Blood Drive: Sunday, September 18
Anyone who donates twice from June through September will receive a $20 Amazon gift card! Please contact Cheryl Track, Faith Community Nurse to register, (941) 320-3828, [email protected]
Donate Eyeglasses and Hearing Aids
Look for the Lions Club box located in church office to donate eyeglasses and hearing aids you no longer use. The box will remain in the church office. Contact Cheryl Track, Faith Community Nurse for more information, (941) 320-3828, [email protected]
Mental Health First Aid Refresher Class
If you took the Mental Health First Aid class April 2019 at First Presbyterian and would like to renew your certification, First Presbyterian will be hosting the class Friday, September 30, 9:00a.m. - 11:00 a.m. There will be no charge if you would like to attend the class without certification. $30 for certification. Tracy Daniels, BayCare Behavioral Health Educator, will be the instructor. Please contact Cheryl Track, Faith Community Nurse to register by Monday, September 19, (941) 320--3828, [email protected]
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Volunteer Day Trips
to Beth-El Farmworker Ministry
Sponsored by Mission
and Justice Committee
Work at Beth-El
Last Wednesday of Month
9:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon
Be a part of the group from FPC that gathers at Beth-El Farmworker Ministry in Wimauma to sort food and related activities. This mission partner distributes food to help 600-900 folks each week.
To sign up or for more information, contact Dave Householder at [email protected]; call or text (724) 462-4235
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Remembering Our Church Family in Prayer
Please pray for those who are experiencing particular health needs and consider sending a note of encouragement. Click on the link below for the prayer list:
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We Care Poster-Card Recipients
We appreciate our team of We Care poster artists who creatively design poster-cards for our church members when they are hospitalized. Special notes, prayers, and well wishes are written on the cards by our congregation on Sunday mornings, and the cards are mailed out.
On the link below is a list of those who have recently received a We Care poster-card. Consider how you might support them through a prayer, a card, or a phone call. Thank you for being family for one another!
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Staying Connected with the Pastor and Church Staff,
Session Members, and Deacons
By clicking on the link below you can easily access a printable document with the names and positions of your church leaders. Use this list when you want to contact them, send a word of encouragement, or pray for them!
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Pastoral Care
When you or a loved one is hospitalized, it is important that you contact the church or one of the pastors to inform us directly and inform the hospital that you are a member of our congregation and would welcome a visit by one of our pastors. Hospitals will not contact the church. We have also discovered that some will no longer even list a patient as our church member on their internal records unless the patient is careful to note their relationship with our congregation. Thank you for your assistance.
We’re Here for You!
The FPC care team, Stephen Ministers, deacons, elders and church staff continue to be available for you. Please feel free to reach out to Cheryl Track, Faith Community Nurse (941) 320-3828 or call the church office (941) 955-8119 if we can be of support to you.
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Get Easy Access to Church Member Information
Church Life is an app that is available to church members with iPhones or Androids. You can search for members, view phone and address information, photos, and family members. You can send a text or call with a simple tap on the phone number. You can even send an email. Here are two simple steps:
1) Download ACS Church Life from your App Store using either iPhone or Android (Blackberry and other mobile devices can enter www.churchlife.mobi from any mobile browser).
2) Log in. Use the same username/email and password you use for your member login on our website.
You can bring your phone into the church office and Lisa Garcia, Finance Manager, would be happy to help you navigate getting Church Life on your phone. Please call (941) 955-8119 to set up a time.
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