The Banner Newsletter

THE BANNER

August 6, 2025

Note from Casey

Dear friends,

Last week, we read Paul's words that faith, hope, and love remain beyond every other spiritual gift. Love may be the most important of them all, but clearly Paul sees each of these three gifts as vital to the health of the church. In these last few weeks of Pastor Ellen's sabbatical, we will spend some time with each of them. This week, that looks like thinking about hope in the context of 1 Corinthians 14:1-12, where Paul tells the Corinthians to desire the gift of prophecy. We often imagine prophecy as having to do with hope, and we think of prophets as those who can see or discern the future. But the future is not something most of us can make out on our own.

Every new school year, every new work week, and the start of every election or hurricane or Panthers season involves hope without knowing what will actually come to pass. How do we hope when we "see through a mirror dimly," with more questions and uncertainties than answers? Bring your hopes, fears, dreams, and school supplies this Sunday as we baptize children, bless backpacks, and consider that central gift in Paul's big three: hope.

Peace,

Pastor Casey

Usher sign up link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30e0948acab2dabf49-fpcusher

Lay Reader sign up link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30e0948acab2dabf49-scripture

link for online worship: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfpzVUz-ZgaCJuogIMor8Iw/live

link to Ellen's sermon podcasts: https://bit.ly/Sermons_FPCConcord

Youth

We are excited to kick off a NEW year of Youth Group with our 6^th-12^th graders!

Please make plans to join us in Davis Hall for our Youth & Parent meeting this Sunday, August 10, following worship! Please bring your completed health forms (also available at the meeting) and your calendars! We appreciate an RSVP with the total attending from your family - 2025-2026 Youth: 8/10 Youth Group - Parent Meeting

We also invite families to bring one or more items from our wish list as we prepare for some cooking and baking in the weeks ahead:

Boxes of muffin mix

Cans of kidney beans

Boxes of Jiffy corn bread

28 oz cans of crushed tomatoes

Cans of black beans

Check out the upcoming calendar and sign-up to participate!

8/24, 3:00 PM, Davis Hall – Churchwide Rise Against Hunger -

https://riseagainsthunger.org/register/?id=701Pj00000baIXNIA2

9/7, see sign-up for times, Davis Hall – Cooking and serving Night Shelter

2025-2026 Youth: 9/7 Youth- Night Shelter cooking & serving

9/14 – 5:00 - 7:00 PM, Moore farm – Youth Kick Off Party! 2025-2026 Youth: 9/14 Youth Kick-Off

9/21, see sign-up for times, Davis Hall – Baking for Market for Mission

2025-2026 Youth: 9/21 Youth Group Baking for Market for Mission

Sharing God’s Gifts

Do you have a gift for baking cookies?

A passion for fishing?

A Cricut machine?

The gift of sewing?

Would you be willing to share your gifts?

Please connect with René Prager for more details – r.prager@firstpresconcord.org

Banner and Social Media

With a single e-mail you can promote news in The Banner and/or the church social media accounts – Facebook and Instagram. This is a great way to let everyone know of upcoming events, provide recaps on recent events, and highlight ways FPC is serving the community.

Who – email Suzanne Russell (Suzanne.russell@firstpresconcord.org) for the Banner and René Prager (r.prager@firstpresconcord.org) for social media.

When – Banner articles are due by noon on Tuesdays for publication on Wednesdays; social media posts are made Monday through Wednesday and are often scheduled a week in advance.

What – provide a copy-ready write up that includes all the information about the event (Who, What, Where, When, and any RSVP information in a concise manner. Less is more when people are reading. Be sure to avoid “insider” abbreviations such as FH (Fellowship House) and include the church reservation line number 704-788-2100 #7 when applicable. All capital letters LOOKS LIKE SCREAMING IN PRINT, please avoid this. You may include up to 3 photos, and we will run what space allows. Be sure that you have permission for those included in the photo. Do not include personal phone numbers in your articles, but contact emails are okay.

*For social media posts, an image is required. You may find generic images on pixabay.com or use images you have from a previous year’s event.

As Pastor Ellen often says, “We are a blessedly busy place”. Our church calendar for August and September is filling in quickly, so please send your “Save the Date” and event info in as soon as possible for scheduling and sharing.

Illustrate the Scripture / Sermon

Our young disciples continue to illustrate the scripture and it is a gift to see God’s word to us in their illustrations.

Please look for this week’s scripture in the narthex!

Rise Against Hunger

Don’t forget to sign up and mark your calendars for Rise Against Hunger, which will be on Sunday, August 24th!

Join us for a fun afternoon at 3:00 PM in Davis Hall, where we will package nutrient-rich meals to be sent to vulnerable communities worldwide in an effort to help fight hunger. This is not only a really fun opportunity for all ages, but is an amazing outreach event where we can help nourish the lives of others! We’d love to see lots of new faces as well as some "old hands” and encourage the whole family to come!

PW Kick-off Dinner

Join us on August 27th. Click here or Call the reservation line to reserve your spot by Thursday, August 21, 704-788-2100 #7. Cost for the dinner is $12.