Stewardship Dedication November 12th

All that we are and all that we have comes from God. This Sunday we celebrate all the gifts we give back to God through this church: our prayers, our presence, our gifts, our service. Please prayerfully consider your stewardship contribution and complete your pledge card for 2024. We will dedicate our gifts in worship. You can turn in your pledges by putting them in the offering plate or mailing them to the church.

Join us for lunch as one of the ways our prayers, presence, gifts, and service are used to help others.

A delightful and delicious lunch will be served this Sunday by our three shelter meal teams.

For several years, teams of volunteers from First Pres have prepared and served meals to shelter residents. The meal on the 12th will give you the opportunity to experience a typical hot meal that our teams provide monthly. It will be a great opportunity to learn more about this important outreach and find out how you can help. More volunteers are always welcome.

List of Honored Veterans

Grace Lutheran Food Pantry will hold a Benefit Concert November 12th at 2:00 P.M.

Combined choirs, including our own, and special guests will join to raise much-needed funds.

All are invited to attend a fundraising concert to benefit the Grace Food Pantry on November 12, at 2:00 p.m., at Grace Lutheran Church, 714 E Capitol Ave. A combined chorus of several church choirs will perform, along with small ensembles from the Land of Lincoln Chorus and the Springfield Choral Society, a duet by Becky Kemp and Nichol DelGiorno, and others.

The Grace Food Pantry is supported by several local churches (including First Pres), community organizations, local businesses, and individuals. The Grace Food Pantry has seen a 40% increase in clientele this year over 2022, which was a record year, serving 17,500 individuals in 2023 through the end of September, according to Tom Krieger, pastor of Grace Lutheran Church. Nearly 40 percent of clients are children under age 18, 20 percent are over age 55, and 10 percent are homeless. Though the Grace Food Pantry is an all-volunteer organization, its operating costs have increased greatly over the past several months, with increased need and higher costs of supplies.

Please join us for an afternoon of music to celebrate and help the Grace Food Pantry. Free parking at 7th and Capitol in the Grace Lutheran Church parking lot. The free concert begins at 2:00 at Grace Lutheran Church. A freewill offering will be received.

Earth Care Team Meeting

Join us for an Earth Care Team meeting on November 13th at 6:00 in the commons. All are welcome.

Faith and Fellowship Meeting

Faith and Fellowship will meet Friday, November 17 at 10 am at the home of Mary Young (see directory). We will be preparing Chrismon kits to make at home for 33 children associated with First Presbyterian Church. Please come and enjoy the conversation while we make these kits. This is a joint project with the Christian Nurturing Committee.

Newcomer Classes

There will be one more newcomer class on November 19th following worship service. This is an opportunity for those who are new to the congregation and/or considering membership to learn more about this particular church and the Presbyterian Church USA's mission and history. If you are interested, please contact [email protected].

Hanging of the Greens November 28

Who Likes Decorating?

If you like decorating we could use your help! Hanging of the Greens will be November 28th. Please let Michelle know if you are able to help decorate the sanctuary for the holiday season.

RENOVATION UPDATES!

Asbestos abatement is nearing completion. Our work is underway! We will keep everyone updated as our access to spaces in the building shifts. Thanks for remaining flexible during this "time in the wilderness." 

Our congregation is growing into new visions of ministry with our renovation which will make much more of our facility accessible, beautiful, and functional. This is very exciting! 

READ MORE

Meetings During Renovations

We will try to keep you posted as to what areas of the building are open during the renovations. In the mean time, it is important that you fill out the room request form to schedule any meetings at the church including committee meetings so we can schedule rooms and adjust thermostats appropriately.

Click here for Church Access Information During the Renovation

November is Transgender Awareness Month

November is Transgender Awareness Month, a time to honor, celebrate, and advocate for our transgender and gender diverse community. The month culminates with the annual Transgender Day of Remembrance on November 20.

2023 Advent Brown Bag Concerts

Wednesdays, November 29, December 6, 13, 20 | 12:15 -12:45 p.m.

Brown Bag Concerts are free. Bring your own lunch or there will be brown bag lunches available for 5.00.

Our first concert will feature: Devon Carpenter, harpist

Invite a friend!

IL Symphony Orchestra to perform at

First Presbyterian Church Friday December 1 at 7:30

Be inspired by the intimacy of the ISO's Chamber Orchestra performance! Featuring Naomi Woo, Conductor and Roy Meyer, Violin.

You Can Host Coffee Fellowship

You can sign up to host in the commons or contact Michelle. We love visiting with each other after worship and appreciate those who make coffee and bring goodies.

Do You Love Singing?

Join the choir! Singing has always been an important part of First Presbyterian Church's worship service. We are delighted to announce choir will begin again on September 10th. So, if you love singing and would like to get involved, join us Sunday mornings for rehearsal at 9:15 in Cook/Diller Lounge and singing at the 10:45 service starting September 10th. Email Becky Kemp for more information.

Hospital Notices

In the past, we have encouraged members and friends of First Pres to let us know when you go to the hospital so Pastor Susan and Chaplain Tim can provide pastoral support if it blesses you. With the news that Memorial Health has cut their pastoral care department staff, we cannot rely on them to notify us.

So, please call the church office whenever you or a family member is hospitalized.

Worship videos available

If you missed church on a Sunday or would like to re-visit a service, videos are available at the bottom of our home page.

Join us for Worship on Wednesday and Stay for the Potluck!

Join us for Wednesday worship and stay for potluck. Service begins at 5:30 pm. Pastor Susan, Chaplain Tim, and Emily Wheeler guide us in worship each week.

Shelter Meal Volunteers

Jesus says: "For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited me in."

~Matthew 25:35

We are looking for volunteers to join our shelter meal teams. We usually do three meals a month including 2nd Tuesday of the month for Helping Hands and 4th Tuesday for Overflow Shelter (Salvation Army).

If it blesses you to help feed our neighbors, please join us. You can assist with the preparation of the meals, serving, visiting or all of the above. If you are interested or have questions, please see Keith Dhom, Frank Schultz, or Margie Palmatier.

Image by Harole Ethan from Pixabay

You can still contact us!

Even though some of us may not always be in the building you can reach us by phone at home.

Just dial 217-528-4311

and put in the extension of the person you are trying to reach.

Pastor Susan x1020

Chaplain Tim x1030

Bookkeeper (Tara) x1050

Church Office (Michelle) x4

Facilities Manager (Tom) x1040

Sarah E.

Michael W.

Vicki B.

Karen A.

William R.

David A.

Ashlyn C.

Simon L.

All events are via Zoom unless otherwise specified.

November

13

Buildings and Grounds Committee Meeting 4:00

Earth Care Team Meeting 6:00 Commons

15

Wednesday Worship On-Site 5:30 with potluck to follow

19

Rev. Susan Phillips to lead Zoom Service 9:00 Zoom

Rev. Susan Phillips to lead Sanctuary Service 10:45 Sanctuary

Interfaith Thanksgiving Service 7:00 Douglas Avenue Church

NOTE: Links to all events are attached to items on the church calendar .

If you click on the Zoom link in the calendar the invitation will open.

How to Join a Zoom Meeting

From your computer, cell phone or tablet:

Click the link provided.

To join a Zoom meeting via telephone:

Dial number given for the meeting. You will be prompted to enter the meeting ID provided followed by #.

Different Ways to Give

Thank you to everyone that shares in the Joy of Generosity at First Presbyterian! There are several ways to support our ministries and many ministries to support. In order to ensure your gift is credited to the correct fund, please take a moment to include the following information when making a donation:

1. Writing a check – Add the fund name in the memo section (Capital Campaign, Peacemaking, Samaritan Ministry, etc.)
2. Online portal – Select “Other Donations” when entering the amount then enter the name of the fund in the Notes section
3. Text giving – Text “$10 CC” to 217-284-2546, this example is a $10 donation for the Capitol Campaign fund. Other commonly used text codes are: Pledge, SM (Samaritan Ministries), Donate (Non-pledge), Peace, Joy, OGHS, Pentecost and BB (Brown Bag)

Church Contact Information

Our church numbers reach us even while we are working remotely.

Pastor Susan Phillips

[email protected]

217.528.4311 X 1020

Chaplain Tim Haworth

[email protected]

217.528.4311 X 1030

Bookkeeper, Tara Kaeding

[email protected]

217.528.4311 X 1050

Administrative Assistant, Michelle Hastings

[email protected]

217.528.4311 X 4