Dear Friends,

What a wonderful weekend we just had! Most of our elected church leaders spent Saturday worshiping, praying, reflecting, and dreaming with one another about the year ahead. They walked around the neighborhood asking questions about who our neighbors are and how can we serve those neighbors. And then of course on Sunday some of our children helped us lead the Lord’s Prayer and we elected Kirby Bullard as a deacon and Casey Aldridge as our next associate pastor. Like I said, it was a REALLY good weekend.

This Sunday, we will spend some time in the third chapter of Jonah when the prophet finally finds himself in Nineveh. This passage is known in some places as the repentance of Nineveh, and it is one of the most absurd scenes in scripture. I won’t spoil it for you, so I hope you’ll read through it and see what you think.

Have a good rest of the week and I’ll see you Sunday!

Grace and peace,

Ellen

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

We are still seeking a volunteer to help:

• Assist with our three-year-olds (you’d be partnered with a First Kids teacher)
• a Wednesday Recreation volunteer
• two volunteers to assist on Thursday with an early elementary school aged groups (also partnered with a First Kids teacher)
• an adult to help with a basic carpentry station

VBS week is June 26-29. Please sign up here: 2023 VBS Volunteers: VBS Volunteers (signupgenius.com) or e-mail René Prager (r.prager@firstpresconcord.org).

We are also looking for solid queen or king size flat sheets in any color. Solid or woven curtains would also work. Does anyone have a large box (washer/dryer/dishwasher)? Other items that we are seeking include: a wooden ladder rack, woven scarves, a woven rug, hanging herbs, bougainvilleas, an arbor, date tree, fiscus plant or palm plant (real or artificial). We need a stick horse, Harris Teeter paper bags, used crayon & crayon pieces.

Several VBS prep dates have been set:

              Thursday, June 15, 2:30 PM-4:00 PM

              Sunday, June 18, noon-12:15 PM

              Wednesday, June 21, 11:00 AM -12:30 PM

If you can help, please sign-up here: VBS set-up / tear-down: VBS Set-up & tear-down (signupgenius.com) or e-mail René.

On Sunday the Associate Pastor Nominating Committee - with an enormous amount of excitement and joy – recommended Casey James Aldridge to become the next Associate Pastor. The congregation voted and Casey will begin his ministry at First Presbyterian on July 15th.

Welcome Casey!

All of our rising 6^th-12^th graders are invited to participate in our Meals on Wheels route this summer.

Please use this sign-up to select the date that works best for you:

Meals on Wheels: Meals on Wheels (signupgenius.com)

Each week 2-3 Youth will join Sallie Dotger and another FPC adult on the delivery route.

Youth should arrive at 10:15 AM in the Fellowship House and Sallie will drive them home at the end of the route (approx. noon/12:30 PM).

We had such a good talk with Chuck Collier of Racial Equity Cabarrus at our last meeting that we ran out of time to discuss the book. We will finish Jemar Tisby’s “The Color of Compromise” with a discussion of chapters 10 and 11 at 3 PM Sunday, June 25, in The Commons.

This book, available on Amazon.com, examines the American church’s complicity in racism and suggests ways to foster a more equitable and inclusive environment among God’s people. That is part of our mandate as a Matthew 25 congregation.

Our group is informal, and you can join any time. For more information email : sverner@yahoo.com.

This month we will eat at the Chop House (beside the Gem Theater) in Kannapolis on Wednesday, June 21 at Noon. Please call the church reservation line to reserve your spot 704-788-2100 #7 by Monday, June 19, so we know how many tables to have reserved for our group. You can meet us at the restaurant at noon, or the FPC parking lot off Church Street at 11:30 AM to carpool.

We will take a very short walk after lunch to the Core Lab at the NC Research Campus to view their hand painted dome. The mural reflects Mr. Murdock’s belief that fruits and vegetables can change people’s lives. The $1.5 billion Research Campus focuses on health and nutrition. The beautiful dome was the largest in NC when it was painted. Imagine a 23 foot long pineapple, a foot long blueberry, and an 11 foot head of lettuce, among other fruits and vegetables. The building also has an amazing table from Hawaii on display.

If you haven’t’ been to Kannapolis recently you will be surprised by all the changes. Join us to see some of them!

We hope you will come and help us “reboot” Lunch Bunch. We were thrilled to have 21 people attend lunch in May, and hope the number continues to grow. The committee is working on interesting trips and programs, and we would love to have you be part of it. All adults are welcome!