The 2022 Summer Lectures will begin on Sunday, June 5, during the Sunday School hour in the Family Life Center. You are in for a treat! The speakers include Dr. Bill Barcley, Dr. Steve Nichols, Dr. Steve Lawson, Dr. Ligon Duncan, and Dr. H.B. Charles. Three of the speakers are here for the first time: Dr. Mike McKelvey teaches Old Testament at Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson, Mississippi; Rev. George Wright, formerly pastor at Shandon Baptist Church, and Dr. David Sinclair who has pastored at Lexington Presbyterian Church and Clemson Presbyterian Church. 

The theme dovetails with our recent 225+2 celebration and will follow a theme of the church member’s role in the Lord’s Supper, Upholding the Truth, Worship, Church Planting, etc. Details will follow in the brochure that will be included in next week’s issue of First Things, or you can find information on the church website and app. 

All the lecturers in June and July will also preach at the 8:30 and 11:15 a.m. services and, because I will not be preaching during these months, the Session has kindly granted me a two-month sabbatical during which I will attempt to write a book on the life of the apostle Peter. This is the first time I have had a church sabbatical (I had several when teaching at seminary). Rosemary and I plan to do some reflecting, and we will make a visit to Scotland to see the grandchildren in late July. 

I really do think this year’s Summer Lectures are “top drawer” and encourage you to attend them all.

Derek W.H. Thomas

VBS snacks, Decorating Days, and Volunteer sign-ups are still open! Monumental VBS is right around the corner (June 20-24), and the Children’s Ministry could use your help. Please register today on our website to bring snacks, transform the church into a desert, and volunteer. 

We will continue to block one lane of Lady Street in each direction on Sundays, but now from 7:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m. This extended time frame makes angle parking for Seniors available on Lady Street for our 6:00 p.m. evening service.

The Women of the Church’s Annual General Meeting and Salad Day Lunch will take place on Tuesday, May 17. The General Meeting will begin at 10:30 a.m. in Smith Chapel. Lunch will follow in Jackson Hall at 12:00 p.m. Cost is $8.00 per person, and college students are welcome to join us for free. Please RSVP on the church website or app. Nursery is available with reservation. 

Starting on Sunday, June 5, as the Chancel Choir takes their summer break, we will begin our Summer Choir. Rehearsals start at 5:00 p.m. on Sundays, and we will sing during the 6:00 p.m. worship service during the months of June and July.

This is a great opportunity to sing if you have sung in choirs in the past or have always wanted to sing in a choir. We will sing hymns, hymn arrangements, and learn a thing or two about the background and history of each hymn. This is a fun, low-to-no pressure choir for all ages! 

If you would like to participate, please contact Daniel Cole at dcole@firstprescolumbia.org, or (803) 799-9062, Ext. 254. 

Our summer American Red Cross blood drive will take place on Wednesday, June 15, in The Bridge, Room 125, from 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. To sign up online, please go to www.redcrossblood.org, and use sponsor code: FirstPresColumbia. Thank you for your faithful giving; please bring a friend!

This summer, our Women's Summer Book Club will read When Strivings Cease by Ruth Chou Simons. The Book Club will meet on Tuesday nights at 7:00 p.m. from May 31 to June 28 in Aimee Murphy’s home. Registration is open on our website.

The church needs ushers to help out at our morning services, to greet members and visitors alike, and help them to find open seats throughout the Sanctuary. We are all called to serve the church in some capacity, and this is one great way to get started. We ask for a commitment of two months a year at either the 8:30 a.m. or 11:15 a.m. services, but you get benefits, too, such as reserving seats for your family during those months and a name tag (deacons and elders don't have these). Please email Chris Robnett, chair of the diaconate's worship support committee at chrisrobnettdmd@gmail.com with your name and the service time when you would prefer to assist.

If you have moved, changed phone numbers (home, work, or mobile), changed employers, or have a new email address, please let us know so we can update our records. Please send your changes by email to Lisa Eargle at leargle@firstprescolumbia.org, or complete the Contact Information Change Form on the church website under “CONNECT,” firstprescolumbia.org/contact. 

Phyllis Braden on the death of her sister, Barbara Ettinger, on April 29.

Miriam Breckenridge on the death of her sister, Emma Fellers, on May 1.

Katharine and Beau Bryan on the death of her grandmother, Vail Hope Ellis, on May 2.

Janet and Robby Kerr on the birth of their grandson, Wesley Brooks Kerr, on May 9. Grateful parents are Amanda and Matt Kerr. 

 Items for Church Family

Contact Lisa Eargle at leargle@firstprescolumbia.org.