Dear Friends,

We are nearing the end of June and the end of our time with Jonah, for now. In chapter 3, we heard the story from Nineveh’s point of view. In chapter 4, we will hear Jonah’s side, and—spoiler alert—he is NOT happy. He is angry, to which God responds, “Is your anger a good thing?”

Ours is an often-angry world. Not all anger is wrong, of course, but dealing with anger—ours and others’—can be a difficult task. As you read chapter 4 this week, what do you make of Jonah’s anger? And what does it mean to worship a God who is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love?

Grace and peace,

Ellen

This image of Jonah is from artist Sargis Babayan.

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

We are seeking volunteers to help:

• A 2^nd Recreation helper on Wednesday, June 28
• 1-2 adults to help with a basic carpentry station
• An adult to help with Synagogue class

We are also looking for volunteers to help set-up and tear down:

• Thursday, June 22, 1-3 PM
• Sunday, June 25, immediately following worship
• Thursday, June 29, 12:15 PM

Please use this sign-up link: VBS set-up / tear-down: VBS Set-up & tear-down (signupgenius.com) or e-mail René Prager at r.prager@firstpresconcord.org so that we can pass along our daily location and any changes.

We also need a few supplies.

We need FRUIT and VEGETABLES! Any type that can be left at room temperature until June 29 will be accepted. All produce will be donated to CCM after VBS! Ideas include: apples, oranges, limes, lemons, green-ish bananas, potatoes, sweet potatoes, peppers, tomatoes, onions.

Other supplies: wooden ladder rack, woven rugs, hanging herbs (real or artificial), plants (real or artificial) – Palm plants, Fiscus, bougainvilleas, date/fig tree, newspapers and paper Harris Teeter grocery bags.

Please drop off items at your earliest convenience to the church office through Thursday, 4 PM OR on Sunday. 

We will close the upper parking lot between the sanctuary and the Fellowship House next week, June 26-29, until 1 PM each day.

This space may be used for Recreation space and for our children to travel between stations. Thank you for understanding.

We had such a good talk with Chuck Collier of Racial Equity Cabarrus at our last meeting that we ran out of time to discuss the book. We will finish Jemar Tisby’s “The Color of Compromise” with a discussion of chapters 10 and 11 at 3 PM this Sunday, June 25, in The Commons.

This book, available on Amazon.com, examines the American church’s complicity in racism 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.

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

Thanks to a generous donation of games, we are now just looking for a few of the classics.

If you are ready to part with: Sorry!, Chutes and Ladders, Life, regular Monopoly, Battleship, Trouble, Operation, or Connect 4, we would be happy to accept those donations!

Items can be left in the Fellowship House foyer now through June 30.

In May at the CCM Crisis Center, we served 918 households in the 22 days we were open, one short of our all-time record (set in November 2020). June started out looking the same way, although this week has slowed down a little (because of the weather?). In May the total Food Program served 1,795 households, the most since October 2014 (when we had a lot more satellite pantries and were serving twice the number as now through our Mobile Food Pantries).

Meanwhile, donations have remained very low, so our inventory has been very low. Just this week we were able to purchase whole pallets of wholesale food, all staples, which has improved the situation. But we still are not able offer our clients very much variety in the area of non-perishables. So we continue to encourage our partners to join us in sponsoring summer food drives. Every little bit helps!

A reminder if you are delivering food to the Crisis Center —The City of Concord has closed Country Club Drive for at least nine months to replace the culvert down below us. We WILL remain open throughout the road closure. However, everyone needs to come to us from the Concord Lake Road/Branchview Drive direction. It is OK for local traffic to drive past the barricades.

Currently, the pantry items we are in biggest need of are:

·    Canned Chicken

·    Other Canned Meats (Hash, Chili, Vienna Sausages, etc.)

·    Canned peas, carrots, potatoes, and mixed vegetables

·    Pasta Sauce

·    Any kind of canned beans (Pinto, Chili, Kidney, etc.) except for baked beans/pork & beans

·    Peanut Butter

·    Any Canned Fruit (Mixed, Peaches, Pears, Pineapple, etc.)

·    Cereal

As always, we especially seek low-sodium items, no-added-sugar items, and whole-grain items. 

Currently, we have plenty of:

·    Canned Green Beans

·    Canned Corn

·    Diced Tomatoes

·    Baked Beans/Pork & Beans

·    Spaghetti

·    Brown Rice

·    Tuna

·    Dried Beans

Thank you for the continued support from our church and community partners. Our Crisis Center at 246 Country Club Drive NE in Concord serves as the warehouse for most of the food. We will gladly accept all donations at that site from 9:30 am to 1 pm Monday through Friday. Bethel Baptist Helping Hands Food Pantry, located at 1209 1/4 Opal Street in Kannapolis, will gladly accept donations from 9 am to 1 pm on Monday and Thursday. The food pantry located at Westford UMC on Highway 49 and the Kannapolis Food Pantry at West Point Baptist Church can accept donations on Saturday morning from 8:30 am to 11:30 am. The Feeding Our Souls Food Pantry at Bethel Church in Midland, and North Kannapolis Baptist Church Food Pantry will accept donations by calling the church in advance.

I would like to thank the congregation for their prayers and support during my first year of seminary. My third semester wrapped up on Saturday! I am excited for a break from classes until fall.

A special thank you to the Presbyterian Women Meal Ministry team for providing dinner for Chris and me each Tuesday night this past year. I am humbled by your kindness and so grateful for your support.

René Prager

Our middle and high school Girl Scouts decided to use a portion of their cookie money to go roller skating. They enjoyed a fun evening of skating and dinner at Frye’s Roller Rink last Thursday.