The annual Cabarrus County CROP Hunger Walk is next 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.

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.

It’s time to buy your book for the next round of Racial Equity Reads, scheduled to start October 12.

The book for this round is “How Far to the Promised Land: One Black Family’s Story of Hope and Survival in the American South,” by award-winning author Esau McCaulley. We’ll start by discussing the Introduction and the first three chapters of Part I, totaling 40 pages.

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

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 into the present.

You can support Black-owned business by buying the book from Shelves, a Black-owned virtual bookstore in Charlotte. Order by emailing orders@shelvesbookstore.com. It is also available on Amazon.com.

Meetings will be in The Commons at 7 PM Thursdays starting October 12. It’s also possible we may go to Zoom meetings. Our group is informal, and you can join any time. For more information email Scott Verner at sverner@yahoo.com.

Join us for our Fall Picnic! We will gather on the front lawn on Sunday, October 15 after worship for fellowship, food, and fun for all ages. Please plan to join us!  

***$10 per person, $25 max per family

Click here for the sign-up. The deadline is next Tuesday, October 10.

Our Youth followed a series of clues which led them through all four campus buildings with stops in the offices of Pastor Ellen, Pastor Casey, DCE Mrs. Prager, the Cake Room, Market for Mission, Davis Hall kitchen, the sanctuary chancel and choir loft, the backpack room, and the History Room. A special thanks to all our volunteers – Bill, Sally, Carol, Connie, Harriett, Gina, Margaret, Susan, Tripp, Whitney, Kirby, Jennifer, and Julie! The Youth enjoyed snacks at several stops and learned some fun church history too. Each Youth has an orange paper with a list of items that we are collecting in the month of October for the Backpack Program.

We could still use some baked goods and volunteers for our Youth Bake Sale for Market for Mission. Sign-up today! 2023-2024 Youth: Youth Bake Sale - Market for Mission (signupgenius.com)

We had another successful program for our Lunch bunch on September 27.

Our guest speaker was Michael Hansen, an antique dealer for 50 years, and a certified appraiser.

Twenty-eight people attended and enjoyed hearing the history and values of items that were brought in for appraisal.

Wednesday, November 29, 2023

Presbyterian Women

Fall Spiritual Event

"Come to the Table"

Advent Communion and Lunch

12:00 PM

Turning toward Resurrection in the Todd Hobbie Sunday School Class

Over the last two weeks, we have covered what the Hebrew Bible says about Sheol, which the ancient Israelites believed to be the final resting place of human beings, and we have traced the beginning of a turn toward Jewish hope for a day of resurrection in the literature of the Maccabean revolt, roughly a century and a half before the birth of Jesus. One major takeaway from both lessons is that both the concept of Sheol and the concept of a day of resurrection were comforting to the people who heard them. This week, we will turn to what Jesus and the gospels say about life beyond death, noticing where Jesus draws from and where he breaks from these earlier traditions. To what extent is Jesus' message about life beyond death comforting to his listeners... and to us? I hope to see you there, and if you missed either week, you can catch up before Sunday by listening to podcast recordings of both classes using the links below. — Pastor Casey

https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/your-union-rev/episodes/If-I-Make-My-Bed-in-Sheol-e29taqg

https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/your-union-rev/episodes/Turning-toward-Resurrection-Life-beyond-Death-in-the-Maccabean-Literature-e2a58j3

Last Sunday afternoon, the church lawn hosted many of our four-legged friends for a Blessing of the Animals. We enjoyed the beautiful weather, sweet treats for both dogs and people, and fellowship with some of our Union Street neighbors, as we got to worship together in thankfulness for all of God’s creatures. It was a joy to meet each other’s beautiful pets, and we also collected donations for our local animal shelter. 

Our Girl Scouts spent part of the weekend cabin camping at Holly Hut in Dan Nicholas Park. Brownies, Juniors, Cadettes, and Seniors enjoyed dinner around the fire and made s’mores. There were a lot of varieties of mushrooms popping up around the campsite to research and sketch. The Daisy troop joined the adventure on Saturday morning as the girls explored all of the park fun – carousel, train ride, small zoo, gem mining, and more! The troops enjoyed walking tacos for lunch and began planning for their next camping adventure.