For all of those signed up for the church picnic this Sunday, October 15, following worship, please be sure to bring chairs or a picnic blanket. It's sure to be a fun time!

As it turns out, several longtime participants in the Racial Equity Reads group have ongoing conflicts with the meeting day and time announced here last week.

We are polling those who have signed up -- and we invite anyone else who would like to participate -- to name a few days and times they could meet. Please send days and times that would work for you – as soon as possible -- to Scott Verner at sverner@yahoo.com.

The selections we read and discuss are intended to broaden and deepen our understanding of the origins and history of anti-Black racism in America, and its effects on both Black and white people.

The book we’ll discuss this round is “How Far to the Promised Land: One Black Family’s Story of Hope and Survival in the American South,” by Esau McCaulley. It examines the experiences of McCaulley’s family through three generations 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.

McCaulley is a professor of New Testament at Wheaton College, theologian in residence at a historically Black congregation in Chicago and a contributing opinion writer for The New York Times.

You are encouraged to order the book from a Black-owned bookseller such as Shelves, which is in Charlotte (orders@shelvesbookstore.com), or Mahogany Books in Washington, D.C. (mahoganybooks.com). The book is also available on Amazon.com.

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

We have a full and wonderful month planned. I hope you’ll join us whenever you can!

Our October mission is the Backpack Program for Coltrane Webb Elementary students. Youth can bring items to Sunday School or Youth Group (the on campus gatherings) OR drop in the bucket in the foyer of the Fellowship House. To help us know what items are still needed, please sign-up for the item & quantity you can commit to donate. 2023-2024 Youth: Youth - Backpack items - October Mission Project (signupgenius.com)

On Sunday, October 15^th, the Youth will be cooking dinner for the Night Shelter. We will freeze this meal and serve it on December 3^rd after Christmas Pageant rehearsal. We encourage families to help contribute to the meal by signing up for and sending in ingredients. Thank you! 2023-2024 Youth: 10/15 Cooking at Youth Group (signupgenius.com)

October 15 will be our return to the regular Youth schedule – 4:30 PM - 5:30 PM for 6^th-8^th grade, dinner 5:30 PM - 6:00 PM, high school 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM.

October 22 – Confirmation 4:30 PM - 5:30 PM, dinner 5:30 PM - 6:00 PM, Combined Youth 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM

October 29 – Moe’s after worship

Our amazing Sunday School teaching team would love for you to join them 9:45-10:45 on Sunday mornings in Will Young Building Room 304. 

The Deacon's Mission team at First Presbyterian Church has adopted W. M. Irvin Elementary School.

For the next three weeks (October 12-31) we will be collecting for their clothes closet

They need boys & girls jeans, jackets, sweatshirts, sweatpants, shirts (short/long), and undergarments. (Basically everything...). They serve K-5th so the sizes range from 5/6 (children's size) to adult mediums.

A collection bin will be placed in the foyer of the fellowship hall. Please check to see what you might be able donate. Thank you for your generosity!



If you have any questions contact Carol Lacy: grammytwins@yahoo.com

Sponsored by Esther’s Heart, Love Feast in the Streets provides meals and various services to our unhoused neighbors in Concord. FPC is providing the volunteers for this monthly event on Saturday, October 21, 8:30 AM – 12:30 PM, at St. James Lutheran Church. Volunteers will greet our neighbors, serve meals, and guide people to the medical services, barber, clothing tables, and shower facilities. 10-12 volunteers are needed!

Please sign up now:

 https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0b4fa8ae2ea1fa7-love#/

We are collecting adult coats to be given out to the homeless that day. There is a bin in the foyer of the Fellowship house for your donations. Thank you!

Our First Presbyterian staff will greet trick-or-treaters and hand out candy in front of the sanctuary on Halloween. We invite the congregation to contribute to the candy supply!

If you’d like to donate a bag (or more) of individually wrapped candy, please leave that in the foyer of the Fellowship House by Wednesday, October 25^th. 

Thank you to everyone who supported the Cabarrus CROP Hunger Walk on October 8 by walking, raising funds, or making donations. It was a beautiful Fall day and we had 18 walkers on our team, that's 16 humans and two dogs. We are still receiving donations, but at last count we had received $1162 in donations. Clemi Hacker, who has walked in more CROP walks than most people, was the team’s top fundraiser, collecting $320! 

One quarter of the money raised for the CROP Hunger Walk stays in Cabarrus County to support CCM and the remainder is distributed to programs fighting hunger throughout the world by Church World Service.

First Presbyterian was also recognized as a gold sponsor of the the CROP walk.

LUNCH BUNCH

October 25, 2023 Davis Hall 11:45 AM

Reservations due by Monday, October 23

Call the reservations line: 704-788-2100 #7

Union Street in Concord is a pleasure for the eyes with lovely old trees lining the street, flowering shrubs bordering the sidewalk, and beautiful old homes.

We have an expert about the history of many of the homes in our midst because he grew up in one of them. Heath Ritchie is much loved by members of First Presbyterian Church. (Many of us wonder if our church could function without Heath). He has agreed to tell us the history and interesting facts about some of the homes.

John Milton Odell built the first house at 288 Union Street North after the Civil War. Notice some of the same architectural features as the Cabarrus County Courthouse. He was the founder of the Odell Manufacturing Company. After a disastrous 1908, the company declared bankruptcy and re-organized as Locke Mill, which is now housing. Today, the Odell House is known for elaborate halloween decorations that thousands come to see. Come after dark for a really "spooky" treat!

We hope you can come to Lunch Bunch to enjoy a delicious lunch prepared by Chef Margaret, and an interesting program presented by Heath. The cost for lunch is $9.00. It is a great opportunity for Christian fellowship and to learn more about local history right here on Union Street.

Wednesday, November 29, 2023

Presbyterian Women

Fall Spiritual Event

"Come to the Table"

Advent Communion and Lunch

12:00 PM

in Davis Hall

We heard this phrase over and over last week as we prepared for our 4th Market for Mission. Volunteers worked all week long, early in the morning until late in the afternoon to prep for the sale. One task led to another and another and ‘what else can I do?’ saw us through the week. 

This was a church-wide effort going back to February of this year when supplies were organized and donations started coming in. A dedicated group met on Tuesdays to clean, test, price and pack donations. All summer long, donations continued to arrive until we reached our storage limit. Several of you earned the title of All-Star Donator!

By your helping with the Exodus (moving the donations to Davis Hall), we were set-up to get the sale together. Many of you went up and down 4 flights of steps, OVER and OVER, bringing heavy things to Davis Hall. Within an hour and 15 minutes the job was done! Simply amazing!  

All week, committed volunteers continued to show up and boxes were unpacked; items were staged; and pricing was completed, checked and double checked. A kitchen angel made sure there was food for lunch everyday. Finally on October 7th many of you arrived at 6:30 a.m. to carry a massive number of sale items outside, in near darkness. Other volunteers worked the sale from start to finish with half a sausage biscuit and a cookie as sustenance.

The sale came off without a hitch and at 2:00 p.m. new folks with fresh legs helped get Davis Hall ready for Sunday School by packing up, vacuuming, returning storage units and helping to get the Habitat truck loaded. A simple thank you does not begin to cover it but it is heartfelt and hopefully conveys the appreciation we have for our FPC family including the ever helpful staff. So grateful.

Exploring Jesus' Upside-Down Kingdom in the Todd Hobbie Class

Last week in the Todd Hobbie Sunday School class, we looked at Jesus in his Palestinian Jewish and Hellenistic contexts, and began to explore what Jesus says about life beyond death, especially in the Gospel according to Luke. If you missed out, you can listen to our conversation by using the link below. This week, we will continue to dive into what Jesus' countercultural message of the kingdom involves and entails for us in the New Testament, before we turn to the apostle Paul the following week. — Pastor Casey

https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/your-union-rev/episodes/Turned-Upside-Down-Life-Beyond-Death-in-Jesus-and-the-Gospels-e2ac3l4

The Girl Scouts held their annual Investiture ceremony on Thursday in the sanctuary. Twenty-four girls from all four troops participated by reciting the Girl Scout promise and law. A reception for scouts and their families was held in the courtyard following the ceremony.

This past Sunday we welcomed these new members pictured below to our church family:

Allison, Matthew, Murphy and Howard "Ward" Vincent on the left.

Page, Andrew, Jack, Lincoln, Theodore and Emily Castrodale top center.

Marie Dockery on the right.

Julianna, Andrew, Grant, Andy and Benjamin Willis bottom center.