I was glad when they said to me,

    “Let us go to the house of the Lord!”

Psalm 122: 1

Dear Friends,

This summer we have had a wonderful time of intergenerational and informal worship and fellowship at our Selah services on Sunday evenings. As we look ahead, we want to reflect together on how this experiment has served as an aid to faith for us as individuals and as a community. Please complete this brief survey (https://forms.gle/QivVFcFDsuNRpuRG6) and let us know your thoughts. We’re hoping to hear from those who attended as well as those who did not.

And since, it is always good to gather for worship, we’re planning several worship opportunities in addition to Sunday mornings this fall including Blessing of the Animals on October 16 and a Thanksgiving Service of Evening Prayer on November 20.

A special thank you to Jeff and Jacquie for the always beautiful music, to Margaret Campbell for coordinating the three Sunday evening meals, and everyone who read scripture and helped lead us in worship in this new way.

Grace and peace,

Ellen

link for online worship: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfpzVUz-ZgaCJuogIMor8Iw/live

All of our 6^th-12^th grade Youth are invited to help prepare a meal for the clients of the Salvation Army Center of Hope (Night Shelter).

We will gather in Davis Hall from 4:30-6 PM. Any families who want to help deliver the meal are welcome to assist with that between 6 and 6:30 PM.

Please use this link: 2022-2023 Youth: 9/4 - Cooking for the Night Shelter (signupgenius.com) to RSVP (yes or no) AND to sign-up to bring items that we will use in our meal preparation.

We may need help from a few parents. If you are willing to supervise cooking or greet people at the door, please sign up in the corresponding spaces.

This is a favorite activity for many of our Youth, so we hope that YOU can join us!

Congregational Mission

Our BackPack Program is kicking off the new school year! For the month of September our congregation and Central Methodist will each support 10 families. We expect the number of families we serve to increase starting in October.

Each month families will receive a Food Lion Gift Card for $100. (No alcohol or tobacco) In addition the families will receive a bag of food. The food in the bags will vary each month.

You can make monetary donations toward the purchase of the gift cards via the FPC website or by check. (Please note BackPack Program on your check.)

Please drop donations in the Fellowship House.

Items needed by September 12, 2022:

10 canisters of oatmeal (quick cook)

10 plastic jars of peanut butter (16 oz)

10 plastic jars of jelly (20 oz)

10 large box of raisins (15 oz)

10 cans of black beans (15 0z)

1 pkg of rice (1 lb.)

20 cans of ravioli (15 0z)

10 boxes of cookies (standard size, any flavor)

40 cans of Vienna Sausages (4.6 oz)

10 can of fruit cocktail (15 oz)

40 boxes of macaroni and cheese (7.25 oz size)

20 cans of green beans (14.5 oz)

10 packs of cheese crackers (6 crackers to one pack)

10 boxes of saltines (4 sleeves to a box)

10 cans of diced tomatoes (14.5 oz)

10 pkgs soft taco shells (10-12 per pkg)

**Most of these items are available in Food Lion Brand.** 

Help our congregation GROW by being part of our Nursery team!

Whether you are able to help out once a month, once a quarter, or once a year, we would love your help nurturing our smallest congregation members during the worship hour on Sunday mornings. We are seeking a few more adult and teen volunteers to help, especially until we are able to hire an additional nursery attendant.

If you are interested, please let René Prager know at r.prager@firstpresconcord.org.

You can also use this link to sign-up to help: Nursery Volunteers: Sunday Nursery Volunteers (signupgenius.com)

We need an additional adult beginning September 11^th.

Join us for adventures in the outdoors, leadership building and entrepreneurship, STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math), and life skills while actively serving the community and building new friendships! First Presbyterian Church sponsors four Girl Scout troops, ranging from kindergarten through 12th grade. If you are interested in learning more, please contact René Prager at r.prager@firstpresconcord.org.

It’s that time of year!

Be sure to ask your cashier or go online to link your Harris Teeter card to First Kids, account 6125.

Your purchases help earn money for the First Kids Scholarship program.

Cards must be re-linked at the beginning of each school year. Thank you!

     September 1 – October 6 at 2 PM

 Journey Classroom in the Education Building

Thursday Connection resumes THIS week. 2:00 PM, in the Journey Classroom in the Education Building. Topic:The Difficult Words of Jesus by Amy-Jill Levine. Levine is a Jewish New Testament scholar who offers thought provoking commentary on some of the words of Jesus that many of us struggle to understand. This is a video-based series and each week stands on its own. No reading required.Week One will explore Mark 10:17-31 and is entitledSell What You Own. 

PW Fall Spiritual Event

Saturday, October 1, 2022 at Noon

Guest Speaker

Rev. Lorenzo Small, Sr.

Pastor, First United Presbyterian Church

Charlotte, NC

"Reaching Beyond Our Own Table"

Rev. Lorenzo R. Small, Sr. was born on June 5, 1974 in Norfolk, VA. to Ms. Evon Small and Mr. Lorenzo Smith. He attended the public schools of Dunn, NC and attended North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro, NC where he studied finance and graduated in May 1998 with highest honors.

After graduation he worked for a few companies before being called to the ministry. He was licensed in February 2005, and ordained in April 2006.

Rev. Small and his wife retuned to NC later in 2006, where he continued his studies and eventually became the pastor at Pleasant Ridge Presbyterian Church in Lancaster, SC, and earned a Master of Divinity degree from Union Presbyterian Seminary. In 2017 he accepted the call to Pastor at First United Presbyterian Church in Charlotte.

Rev. Small has been happily married to Alexis Rembert Small for 24 years and they have three sons

We are planning and preparing for our next Confirmation class. All 8^th grade students, as well as any high school students who have not completed Confirmation, are invited and encouraged to participate in the new Confirmation class, which will begin in January 2023.

We will have an important meeting for students and parents immediately following worship on Sunday, October 2^nd. Please mark your calendar and plan to attend!

A Celebration of Life in Music and Scripture for Mitzi Malone

Saturday, September 17 at 11:00 AM

First Presbyterian Sanctuary

Mitzi Malone was the church organist at First Presbyterian for 30 years. At the time of her death this summer, the family gathered for a Service of Witness to the Resurrection.

Now we gather to give thanks to God for her life and her service to this congregation with music provided by the choir and our organist, Jacquie.

All are welcome. The family requests that masks be worn.

Lunch Bunch: September 14 at 11:45 AM in Davis Hall

This Fall, come and enjoy a time of fellowship and good food on the 2^nd Wednesday of each month. A donation of $9 for lunch is welcome.

Sign up here, on the sheet in the back of the Sanctuary, or call the office, 704-788-2100 by the 2nd Monday of each month. This months sign up is due by September 12 at noon.

Sign up and mark your calendars, the annual CROP Walk is Sunday, October 9th in Kannapolis with registration beginning at 1 PM and the walk starting at 2 PM. This fun event supports the mission of fighting hunger and poverty both globally and locally through contributions to Church World Service and Cooperative Christian Ministry. Please use the link below to join our FPC Concord team as a participant or a donor! You may choose to join us for the walk at Kimball Memorial Lutheran Church in Kannapolis or to walk around your neighborhood if that works better for you. 

https://events.crophungerwalk.org/2022/team/fpc-concord

Online donations are preferred 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 reach out to Tripp Carpenter gsctripp@hotmail.com with any questions.