Dear Friends,

Sunday was such a great day! If you didn’t pick one up in worship, please be sure to take one of the bright pink sheets that details all (or almost all) of the good things that are going on this fall at and with FPC. There are abundant ways to worship, learn, play, and serve. It’s going to be a wonderful year!

Grace and peace,

Ellen

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

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

Bridge Texts: September 14-17

Wednesday, Genesis 10:15-32

Thursday, Genesis 11:1-9

Friday, Genesis 11:10-26

Saturday, Genesis 11:27-32

September 18-21

Sunday, Genesis 12:1-9

Monday, Genesis 15:1-6

Tuesday, Genesis 21:1-7

Wednesday, Genesis 25:19-28

Thursday Connection is

CANCELLED this week

due to the number of attendees

who are out of town or have a conflict. 

We will resume September 22.

A Celebration of Life in Music and Scripture for Mitzi Malone

Saturday, September 17 at 11:00 a.m.

First Presbyterian Sanctuary

All are welcome. The family requests that masks be worn.

To view the service online while it is happening, click here.

Our Elementary Sunday School Class meets in the Children’s Chapel – that’s on the 2^nd floor of the Education Building.

Middle and High School Sunday School meets in Room 304 of the Will Young Building.

Please join us at 9:45 AM!

Elementary Sunday School is using the Deep Blue one-room Sunday School curriculum and will start the year off with the creation story.

Our Middle and High School students are using the Faith Questions Curriculum and will begin with lessons on grace.

Thank you to our amazing teaching teams:

Elementary: Kara King, Pam McDonald, Amy Murphy, Brenda Todd

MS / HS: Logan Barrier, Kevin Garrison, Thomas Moore, Harris Morrison, Amy Woolwine

If you are interested in being on our substitute teacher list for either age level, please contact René Prager at r.prager@firstpresconcord.org.

We look forward to seeing all of our 6^th-12^th grade Youth on Sunday.

We will meet on our normal Youth Group schedule:

4:30-5:30 PM – 6^th-8^th grade

5:30-6 PM All Youth dinner

6-7 PM High School Youth

This week, we will also have a PARENT meeting from 5:30-6 PM. At least one parent / care giver from each family should plan to attend.

Please bring your calendars, as we will have an option for a one-stop RSVP sign-up for the remaining Youth meetings in 2022 AND we will also have Youth meal sign-ups.

Our Youth will be exploring The Commons on Sunday.

 Thank you, Cindy and Betsy, for leading our first session of Pew Prep this week. We talked about what Pew Prep is and about Worship Bags. We also took some time to read the story of Noah and put a puzzle together. We hope more of our kindergarten, 1^st and 2^nd grade friends will join us this Sunday!

We are looking for additional volunteers to help with Pew Prep, starting as early as September 25^th. If you are interested in serving as the Pew Prep leader or a 2^nd adult, please use this link to sign-up: Pew Prep: Pew Prep - Volunteers (signupgenius.com) Lesson material is provided in advance.

What is Pew Prep? After the first reading, children will be invited forward to sit in the first pew, in front of the pulpit. After the Children’s Message, our Kindergarten, 1^st, and 2^nd grade students will exit the sanctuary together with their Pew Prep leaders. Older children will return to sit with their families. Pew Prep will focus on preparing our early elementary school children for worship. Weekly lessons will cover topics including: the Lord’s Prayer, order of worship, and the meaning of different parts of worship. Our Pew Prep students will return to the sanctuary during the Doxology and sit with their respective families for the remainder of worship. Pew Prep will be held in the Children’s Chapel on the 2^nd floor of the Education Building. 

It was great to see familiar and new faces on Sunday morning as we kicked off the new year of programming with our Rally Day celebration! We enjoyed a delicious breakfast prepared by chef Colin Bramlett of Second Course.

Congregation members hosted informational tables to share opportunities for worship, service, study, and service in fellowship together. Thank you to the Christian Education committee for their dedicated efforts to make this a special morning.

If you missed Rally Day, please pick up a flyer in the Fellowship House or the sanctuary in the coming weeks. Many of our fall offerings are included in the flyer. Additional details can be found in The Banner and on our Instagram and Facebook pages. 

Now that schools are back in session and we seem to be moving toward a more normal schedule, please consider adding Healing Shawls to your calendar of activities. Whether you prefer knitting needles or crochet hooks, sharps or betweens, or quilting, felting, or leather, this group is for you! 

Our next meeting is scheduled for Monday, September 19, 2022. We will meet the third Monday of each month in Fellowship Hall, from 10:00 a.m. to noon. If you aren’t sure what you would like to do but would love to participate, come join us and see the different projects that others are working on.

If you have questions or would like additional information, contact Susan Brooks at sbrooks2846@gmail.com or at 704-788-6803.

It is that time of year to collect college addresses. If you have a child in college, please e-mail their complete USPS mailing address AND their e-mail address to René Prager at r.prager@firstpresconcord.org. Please e-mail this information even if their address is unchanged from last year. Addresses due by the end of September for our fall college care package mailing.

F Do you have an infant? A preschooler?

A child in elementary, middle or high school?

If so, Moms Night Out is for you!

Meet at Southern Strain

Thursday, September 22 at 7:00 PM.

for a relaxing evening of good conversation

with friends old and new.

Questions: Contact Amanda Williamson or Julie Hill.

Twenty-one of our middle and high school Youth gathered at Kingpin Bowling on Sunday evening to learn duckpin bowling – a variation of traditional bowling, with a smaller bowling ball without finger holes.

We rented out the full four lane bowling alley and enjoyed recreation, fellowship, and plenty of appetizers and desserts! We look forward to a great year of Youth ahead!

• Dynamic Speaker, Rev. Lorenzo Small, Sr. "Reaching Beyond Our Own Table"
• Delicious Food, Second Course
• Fellowship across our community
• Bring your spouse, family, friends and neighbors.
• Make your reservation NOW! YOU WANT TO BE INCLUDED!

Sign up and mark your calendars, the annual CROP Walk is Sunday, October 9th in Kannapolis with registration beginning at 1 PM and the walk starting at 2 PM. This fun event supports the mission of fighting hunger and poverty both globally and locally through contributions to Church World Service and Cooperative Christian Ministry. Please use the link below to join our FPC Concord team as a participant or a donor! You may choose to join us for the walk at Kimball Memorial Lutheran Church in Kannapolis or to walk around your neighborhood if that works better for you. 

https://events.crophungerwalk.org/2022/team/fpc-concord

Online donations are preferred using the link above, but you may also bring cash or check donations on the day of the walk. Checks should be made out to "CWS/CROP." Please reach out to Tripp Carpenter gsctripp@hotmail.com with any questions.

Fundraiser for Second Course

Sunday, November 6 at Noon

*Lunch will include BBQ chicken and sides, tickets on sale soon. We are currently looking for community sponsors. Contact Kimberly Leatherman or Betsy Morrison for information.