Here is the church and here is the steeple…

Dear Friends,

As you know, the church web site is often the first place people go before coming to visit. It is our digital front door, and every front door needs to be refreshed every so often. We are in the process of sprucing up our church web site, our digital front door. The new site will include a brief video welcome from me, drone footage of our community and campus, and other video clips. On Sunday, October 30, a video crew will be here to record some of the worship service. They will be in the balcony, quietly filming as we worship as usual. You will probably not notice them at all.

On the 30^th and on every Sunday, your presence makes a difference. I hope you will plan to be part of giving the larger community a glimpse of FPC in all its vibrancy and energy that Sunday (and every Sunday!). Church is more than a door, more than a web site, more than a steeple. Church is church because of Christ and his people.

Grace and peace,

Ellen

*Our September Noisy Offering raised $215.50 for the Coltrane-Webb Elementary School Backpack Program. Our October Noisy Offering is this Sunday, October 23.

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

Bridge Texts: October 20 - October 23

Thursday, 1 Samuel 3:1-18; 7:3-15

Friday, 1 Samuel 8:1-22; 9:27-10:8

Saturday, 1 Samuel 16:1-13

Sunday, 2 Samuel 11:1-5, 26-27; 12:1-9

October 24 - October 26

Monday, 2 Samuel 12:15b-23

Tuesday, 2 Samuel 12:24-25

Wednesday, 1 Kings 1:1-21

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 23 in the Courtyard, Fellowship House side

Please mark your calendars for this coming Sunday, October 23rd! Ewo will be sharing their love of student sponsorship in Bayonnais, Haiti with our congregation before Sunday School and after the 11:00 AM service.

Ewo exists because they believe the next generation will save Haiti by empowering students through the gift of education. They're dedicated to creating a platform for sponsors to build real relationships with students through letters, prayer, and in-person visits. Sponsoring a student provides them with everything they need to get an education from meals to school uniforms. 

For more information on sponsoring a child please visit

https://ewohaiti.org/org/FPCConcord

Please join us on Sunday and prayerfully consider sponsoring a student in Bayonnais. If you currently sponsor a child, please plan on joining us and sharing your experience with sponsoring a child.

For any questions, please contact Betsy Liles – Dinnerbell6@gmail.com or 704-791-6166

Due to scheduling conflicts with most of our new members, the luncheon is postponed.  We will reschedule after the new year.

On November 1, All Saints’ Day,

The Congregational Care Ministry Team

is hosting a Healing Support Luncheon

at 11:30 AM in Davis Hall.

Kristen McDaniel, Bereavement Clinician with

Hospice of Cabarrus will speak.

You are warmly invited to attend and bring a friend

who may find this gathering helpful.

Please RSVP by October 26 at 704-788-2100, extension 7

In October, First Pres and Central United Methodist provided support to 24 families at Coltrane Webb Elementary School. (This is an increase of 3 families over September!) Our support included a $100 Food Lion Gift Card and a generous bag of food. In addition, FPC provided 13 families a set of pots and pans. Central Methodist provided 11 families a crock pot and 9 families a can opener. Thank you to everyone who supported the program in October! The BackPack Program has a lot of needs coming up with the holidays approaching.

November Grocery List

Need By: November 14, 2022

Mashed Potatoes (Instant): 13 oz to 16 oz

Tuna (Can): 5 oz or 12 oz

Granola Bars: Box

Cereal (Box): 12 oz

Vegetable or Vegetable Beef Soup (Large Can): 18 oz

Pudding Cups: 4 per package

Green Beans (Can): 14.5 oz

Flavored Rice (Example: Rice-a-Roni): 6.9 oz

Raisins (6 pack)

Canned Ham:( 16 oz each family will get two canned hams*

Brownie Mix (Box): 16 oz to 18 oz

Herb Stuffing Mix: 12 oz

Chicken Broth (Canned): 14.5 oz

Yams (Canned): 15 oz

Saltine Crackers (Box): 16 oz – 4 sleeves per box

Pasta Sauce (Plastic Container): 24 oz

Spaghetti Pasta: 16 oz

●    The treasurer reported that collection of pledges is lagging behind, so church members are encouraged to update their pledges to the church.

●    Harriett Phillips and Jim Monroe were elected to represent our church at the next Presbytery meeting on October 25 at Rocky River Presbyterian.

●    The pastors reported on members who are receiving pastoral care, and members are reminded to let our pastors know of those who are in need of support.

●    The Session discussed Chapter 2 of the Think Again by Adam Grant. We engaged in a  lively discussion on the role of confident humility to avoid getting stuck on Mt Stupid, which is where we reside when we have learned just enough about a topic to make judgments about it, without realizing that we don’t know enough to be an expert. Ellen touched on this in her sermon last week. Next month we will discuss Chapter 3.

The deacons are collecting new or gently used coats and jackets for men, women, and children. The adult coats will go to Esther’s Heart for their Love Feast on the Street ministry for the unhoused in Concord. The children sized coats will be given to the Cuddle Up Drive sponsored by Cabarrus Partnership for Children. It is getting cold so the sooner the better! The next Love Feast will be held on November 19. 

Love Feast in the Streets was manned by 11 First Presbyterian Church volunteers Saturday, October 15th at St. James Lutheran Church on South Union Street. Ester's Heart sponsors this event monthly, providing the homeless with a hot breakfast, haircuts, clothing, lunch, and snacks to take as well as showers and health checks. Approximately 60 homeless citizens joined us on Saturday. The need is great and we all gained perspective of our homeless population.

This is the last week of Thursday Connection for 2022.

We conclude our study of The Difficult Words of Jesus by Amy-Jill Levine. The session title is “Your Father the devil” and the Scripture passage is: John 8:31-53.  

You are welcome to come join the Racial Equity Reads group Sunday, October. 23, even if you haven't done the reading. We've been having lively discussions of the book "Dear White Peacemakers," by Osheta Moore. Those who have been attending regularly will have read the assigned chapters 8-12, but we welcome anyone into the discussions. We meet at 3 PM. every other Sunday in the Library Conference Room. For more info email sverner@yahoo.com.

FPC is hosting a community fellowship luncheon  to support Second Course and You Are Invited! Join us on Sunday, November 6 at 12:30 PM.    More Details on the attached flyer.

Books & Brews: Can there really be anything hopeful or redemptive in a novel about life after a devastating pandemic? Yes! On Thursday, October 27, you are invited to join a discussion of Station Eleven at The Wine Room (5401 Village Dr. NW, Concord, NC 28027) at 7 PM. Contact Pastor Ellen with questions. See you there!

Youth Group Photo Scavenger Hunt

On Sunday, our Youth covered about two miles of downtown Concord as they made their way between Church Street and Spring Street and Buffalo and Corban. They deciphered clues leading to: The Odell House, Pastor Ellen's home, Memorial Garden, the Basement Arcade, Cabarrus Creamery, Avett Brothers mural, and our own FPC Blessing Box.

The fastest team (pictured top left) ran the course in just thirty-nine minutes, winning $5 gift cards from Cabarrus Creamery. The remaining teams trickled in just after the one hour mark. Thank you to the Youth Group leadership team, parents, congregation members, and Pastor Ellen for helping with this event.  

Here are some photos from the Blessing of the Animals last Sunday afternoon.

There is a shortage of part-time bus drivers at the Boys & Girls Club of Cabarrus County. We are hopeful someone in our church family may be interested or that we can forward this information to someone who might benefit from this part-time work. Some 11 buses travel from the Club to 22 schools to transport 500 elementary, middle, and high school students back to the Club to participate in the after-school program. The Club is currently accepting applications for part-time bus drivers and substitute drivers to transport these students from their schools to the Club. A Class B Commercial Driver's License with P endorsement is required. The work schedule is Monday-Friday; hours can be as long as 1:00-5:00 p.m. or possibly shorter; and pay is $15 per hour. Strong leadership and communication skills are required. Contact Mark Tracy at 704-721-2582, ext. 106 or mtracy@bgclubcab.org.