The Market for Mission’s chief repair elf has been working overtime getting items ready for our sale! He’s repaired mirrors, wobbly stands, play kitchens, rocking chairs, lamps, and even attempted surgery on a Teddy Ruxpin. He’s the best!

Next up, on Sunday, October 1st, immediately following worship - we need help with the EXODUS of items to Davis Hall. 

Volunteers are needed:

·        Oct. 1 - EXODUS after church. Will take less than an hour if we all pitch in.

·        Oct. 2 - 4 - Help with sale set up on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday.

·        Oct. 2 - 6 - Provide a truck and assistance to pick up heavier items.

·        Oct. 7  SATURDAY Sale Day

1.   6:30 AM Help with the rapid set up of outdoor area before the sale begins.
2.    7:30 AM - 2:00 PM work the sale. Several areas still need coverage.
3.   2:00 PM Assist with packing/clean up. Rested help at this point is very helpful.

Please contact Gina Goff, Carrie Myers, Sallie Dotger, or Harriett Phillips to volunteer. It truly takes our whole FPC family to make this sale happen for the Bayonnais community in Haiti.

This Sunday, September 24, we will have our monthly Noisy Offering Collection for the Backpack Program benefitting Coltrane WEbb Elementary School. Bring your change (dollars accepted too!)

Please join us for a brief usher training this Sunday, September 24 directly after worship. This will take no more than 15 minutes. We will review the role of ushers and the usher responsibilities in worship. 

We look forward to seeing you! Thank you for serving our church in this ministry. 

If you are interested in serving as an usher, please see the link below. The link is also available on the church website.

https://m.signupgenius.com/#!/showSignUp/30e0948acab2dabf49-fpcusher 

The "Church Library Team" is planning to re-energize our library as a resource center and is seeking your input concerning its use. Please let us know your thoughts in this short survey.

https://forms.gle/ja3TPJDomTkNFfys8

Thank you for your interest. We will continue to keep you informed about this project!

On Sunday, October 1, we will gather on the Fellowship House lawn for the Blessing of the Animals service. Dogs, cats, and other pets (crated or leashed) are welcome, as are photos of pets, photos or drawings of wild animals, and stuffed animals.

There will be light refreshments, and we will be collecting donations for the Cabarrus County Animal Shelter. The shelter is bursting at the seams with stray dogs and cats, and the staff works very hard to provide a safe, comfortable, and loving environment for these animals.

Please bring your donations (list below) to the event, and Session members will deliver the items to the shelter. 

Please invite your friends and neighbors as we gather to worship God and to give thanks for, celebrate, and care for all of God’s creatures great and small.

Requested donations:

Newspaper

Paper towels

Dawn dish soap

Laundry detergent

Puppy pee-pads

Bleach

Canned pate cat food

Gently used towels and blankets

Cat toys

Durable dog toys like Kongs and Nylabones

Gently used leashes and collars

Gently used medium and large dog crates

The shelter’s Amazon wish list is also helpful for showing exactly what they need. 

Sign up and mark your calendars! The annual Cabarrus County CROP Hunger Walk is Sunday, October 8, in Concord. Registration begins at 1:00 PM with the walk starting at 2:00 PM.

This fun event for all ages raises money and awareness for local and world hunger relief, supporting Church World Service, and the Cooperative Christian Ministry. Visit our information table after church this Sunday, September 24!

Please use the link below to join our FPC Concord team as a participant or a donor. Hope you can join us for the walk starting at Forest Hills United Methodist on Union Street in Concord!

https://events.crophungerwalk.org/2023/event/cabarruscountync

Online donations can be made 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 contact Kay Wall at kaybo198@aol.com if you have any questions.

Our congregation was honored to participate in Rise Against Hunger’s meal packing program on Sunday afternoon. About sixty members, family, and friends spent two hours scooping soy protein and rice, weighing and measuring, sealing and packing. 10,000 total meals were packaged. It is a wonderful, multi-generational opportunity to serve God together.

Come one, come all, to the Lunch Bunch Antique Road Show on Wednesday, September 27! The fun starts at 11:45 AM with a delicious lunch, prepared by Chef Margaret, in Davis Hall.

Michael Hansen, an expert Appraiser, will join us and appraise one or two items that you bring. There will not be a charge for the appraisal.

Maybe you found something at a yard sale, at Webb Road Flea Market, at The Depot, or maybe you have an item that was passed down to you from a family member. Now is the time to learn more about the value of the item. It will be interesting to hear about your antique and the items others bring too.

Join us for lunch, an interesting program, an opportunity to get to know new members, and wonderful Christian fellowship.

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

to reserve your spot by next Monday afternoon, September 25th.

Hope to see you there!

We offer three adult Sunday School classes, and we invite you to join us! All classes start at 9:45 AM and conclude at 10:45 AM. While classes may be part of a larger series, each Sunday is a stand-alone lesson.

Journey – meets in the Education Building and is primarily a group discussion format. The class uses the NOOMA series videos to launch conversations on various topics.

Todd Hobbie – meets in Davis Hall (Will Young Building). Rev. Casey Aldridge is leading a lecture/discussion series on Life Beyond Death. This week, he will talk about what the Hebrew bible says about Sheol. Last week’s lecture can be found by clicking here

S & D – meets in the Fellowship House. The class utilizes a discussion format and is currently exploring Andy Griffith and Mayberry through television episodes and an accompanying book.

We hope that you’ll visit each of the classes and enjoy Christian fellowship and learn something new or see familiar material through a new lens. 

We enjoyed seeing so many smiling faces on Sunday morning! We hope you will join us this Sunday!

Nursery – for ages infant through preschool on the second floor of the Will Young Building. On Sunday, the children heard the story of Sarah and Abraham. We will explore a new story each week, with a foundational reading during Sunday School and a second reading / activity during worship.

Elementary – K through 5^th is in the Children’s Chapel of the Education Building. Last Sunday, children learned about Moses and the burning bush through story and activities. On September 24^th, they will explore the story of Moses and the parting of the Red Sea.

Middle and High School – 6^th-12^th grade is in room 304 of the Will Young Building. For the first two weeks, our Youth will be baking for the Market for Mission bake sale. Last week, they made delicious brownies and seven layer cookies are the plan for the 24^th. 

Starting Thursday, October 5^th at 2 PM, we will gather in The Commons for a five-week study of Dr. Vivek Murthy’s book Together: The Healing Power of Human Connection in a Sometimes Lonely World. In Together, Murthy—the current Surgeon General of the United States—explores how loneliness has become a real public health concern, and what we can do about it. None of our lives are untouched by loneliness, but in coming together as a community and talking to one another, we will build and deepen the bonds that carry us through seasons of loneliness. 

Please contact Suzanne:suzanne.russell@firstpresconcord.org if you plan to attend so that books can be ordered for the first session. No reading is required ahead of the first meeting, and the study is open to the community. The study will conclude with a prayer service around the theme of loneliness and connection in The Commons on the evening of Sunday, November 5.

If you have served as an Elder or Deacon in the past, you are always eligible to serve communion!

We are developing a team of individuals interest in assisting in the distribution of communion. If you would like to be a part of the communion serving team, please contact Pam McDonald: danielpam151@yahoo.com

Thanks for giving this very important ministry your consideration!

Our confirmation class gathered after worship on Sunday for a mini retreat on campus. We enjoyed lunch, and covered lessons on “Who is your Lord?” and “Who is your Savior?” from the Big God, Big Questions curriculum.

Our confirmation partners joined us later in the session and after time to get to know each other, we engaged in a third lesson, “Will you show Christ’s love?”. Together, we headed to the Rise Against Hunger event to serve together and follow as Jesus instructed when he said, “feed my sheep”.

Our next confirmation class is October 22 from 4:30 PM - 5:30 PM in Davis Hall. 

Join us next Tuesday Night,

September 26th, 7:00 PM



Valerie and Harold Thomas'

Residence

889 Craigmont Lane

Concord, NC 28027

Twenty of our Youth participated in the Rise Against Hunger event on Sunday. This is always a favorite activity for many of our Youth.

Next Sunday, Youth are invited to gather at Moe’s for lunch after worship. Families should provide transportation and lunch money. All are welcome!

We will not have regular Youth Group in the evening of September 24 due to the long weekend for two of our main school systems.

Wednesday, November 29, 2023

Presbyterian Women

Fall Event

Advent Communion and Lunch

12:00 PM Davis Hall