*Sunday, July 14

• Sermon: Rev. Dr. Fritz Ritsch
• Worship Leader/Scripture Reader: Derek Higgs
• The Baptism of Curtis Kelly Draughn, son of Garrett and Anna Draughn
• Head usher: Gene Rees

Beacons will not be meeting tonight

Anna will be out of the office July 15-19 (details in article below)

Tuesday, July 16: noon: Bible Study

*Sunday, July 21

• Sermon: Rev. Dr. Fritz Ritsch
• Worship Leader/Scripture Reader: Shevaun O'Connell
• Flowers: Amy Heath
• Head usher: Laura East

5-7: Beacons: Scout Hut: met for a time of Bible study and fellowship

Tuesday, July 23: noon: Bible Study

*Sunday, July 28

• Sermon: Rev. Dr. Vicki Jones Johnson
• Worship Leader/Scripture Reader: Bettsee McPhail
• Commissioning of the Montreat Travelers
• Flowers: needed
• Head usher: Laura East

Beacons will not be meeting tonight due to Montreat retreat.

Tuesday, July 30: noon: Bible Study

Worship Volunteers Needed:

There are lots of ways to get involved during Sunday morning worship. We need scripture readers, flowers for the sanctuary, greeters, nursery helpers and Little Church helpers. There are sign-up sheets in the foyer, click the button below, or contact Anna at office@fpcma.com

Note: We especially need people to sign up for flowers.

Prayer List

Please keep the following people in your prayers: Dr Emily Burke Cheshire, Cason McMillian, Kevin Dodd, Sheila Gifford, Larry Watson, Ann Yokeley, Jordan Tucker, Jean Arrington, Kathryn Benfer, Wendy Byrd, Mariah Tate, Katherine Heath, Tim Long, and Aria Stevenson.

If you have a prayer request, contact Anna in the church office or email office@fpcma.com.

The Baptism of Curtis Kelly Draughn

Curtis was born on April 13, 2024 and will be baptized on Sunday, July 14th. He is the son of church members Anna Leigh Draughn and Garrett Bradley Draughn. 

July 15-19

Our office administrator, Anna Bush, will be out of the office on vacation July 15-19. If you are in need of assistance, you can email office@fpcma.com or reach out to Fritz by phone at 817-913-6107 or email  fritz@fpcma.com.  

Vacation Bible School: June 17-19

“In God’s Backyard”, a camp-themed vacation bible school was held June 17-19. We had around 60 children participate! A huge shout out to the many volunteers it took to make this a VBS to remember.

See the photo video HERE

Thanks to Anna Peterson for her amazing photography and for putting together the video.

Cottage Meetings

The Transition Team is holding cottage meetings with the help of hosts to discuss who the church is and where God is taking us as we prepare for our new pastor.

If you have not attended a meeting, please attend one of the last offerings that applies to you:

July 12: Choir members

Thursday, July 25 at 6:30: Mary Planer's house: 708 Greenhill Rd. (no targeted group)

Aug. 9: Keenagers (folks over 50)

Outdoor Worship Service

Well Attended

We held our annual outdoor worship service June 30th This was a patriotic themed worship service, followed by a covered dish luncheon in the fellowship hall. It was a wonderful time of worship and fellowship.

Beacon News:

Youth in middle school and high school meet on Sundays from 5-7pm, in the Scout Hut for Bible study and fellowship.

7/14: No meeting

7/21: Regular meeting

7/28: During worship, we will be commissioning the Montreat travelers. No meeting tonight

Montreat: July 28-August 3

Please keep our attendees in your prayers for a meaningful week: Anna Peterson, Taylor Pike, Charlotte Banfield, Ann Rachel Sheppard and Loida Slate.

Updates from the Session:

Financial Report: In June, our overall income came to $13.905, and our expenses totaled $14,961. We have received $88,026 in pledged giving to date, which is 65% of our total pledged giving for the year.

As we enter the summer months and attendance may go down as more people travel, please remember to keep your giving current. One way to easily do this is to set up automatic giving through Realm. Please reach out to the church office if you need any help setting this up.

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We have received $49,000 in pledges for the "Close the Gap Campaign" that the session has launched in order to fulfill the budget/pledge gap for 2024. We are only $11,000 away from the goal of $60,000! Thank you for all your contributions to the life and ministry of our congregation."

No meeting this month. Special thanks to everyone who volunteered to comfort the family and friends of Bill Rountree with breakfast items and a reception after the celebration of his life.

Committees are working on:

• Chrismon repairs and additions
• Redesigning flower beds
• Cleaning and rearranging storage areas

Ongoing Projects:

• Fundraising for Thanksgiving Meal Kits

Want to receive the Presbyterian Women's magazine Horizons? CLICK HERE

2024 Justice and Peace Calendar

Support Our Area Charities 

Baskets are located inside the Blessings Box located in the foyer for donations to these agencies.

July's special requests are:

Yokefellow: Canned fruit and cereal

They would also love to have reusable shopping bags.

Shepherd's House: Deodorant- male and female

Helping Hands: Non-perishable food items, paper products and toiletries.

We are planning to provided a dinner for the residents of the Shepherd's House before the end of the summer.

It was determined last summer that the need for bagged lunches has declined- that's a good thing! The Missions Team has decided to instead provide dinner for the approximately 45 residents of the Shepherd's House one night soon. The missions team is still working on a date, so be watching for a message coming soon on Realm and in the bulletin.

Pennies For Hunger

The first Sunday of the month we pass around yellow buckets for our Pennies for Hunger offering. You can also give to this fund through the Realm app.(click here) Just go to the giving tab and select the fund "HUNGER"

Collected in 2023: $1849

As of June 1, 2024 we have collected $395

Scout Hut Renovations Continue!

Following the initial renovation work that took place last year, we are pleased to announce that we were able to renovate the kitchen, thanks to the donated labor from a local home improvement business. Busy As A Bee Home Improvement, LLC donated their labor as a charity to the church. They painted existing cabinets, installed some new ones, installed a new countertop and sink and completed new flooring. We are so grateful to owners Steven Fanale and Jennifer Codella for their amazing work and generosity to our church! 

School Supplies Drive

We will once again be collecting school supplies for the Mount Airy City School until the Sunday, August 11 when we have the blessing of the backpacks. There will be baskets in the foyer for your donations.

Items requested include composition books, notebook paper, glue sticks, dry erase markers, No. 2 pencils, crayons, and markers.

A little Jesus goes a long way!

On Easter Sunday, miniature Jesus figures were given out to the congregation as a reminder that he is with us wherever we go. If you did not get one, we have more available in the sanctuary. We ask that you please share pictures of wherever you take him with you, and post on social media with the hashtag #findlittlejesusFPCMA. Let’s see how many shares we can get!

Congregational Care & Outreach

Deacon Kim Branch is providing congregational outreach by sending birthday, anniversary, and care cards to members and friends on our prayer list. Please contact her if you have someone in particular that you would like to have a card sent to on behalf of the church. Email krhbtexan@yahoo.com or call 336-401-0733. 

To Update Your Realm Profile for Skills and Interests:

When in Realm scroll to the bottom of your profile and you can select your skills and interests. By doing so the church will be able to help you find matches for what you are passionate about and/or good at.

Adult Sunday School:

Odds and Ends: This is our longest established class and it meets every Sunday at 10am in the classroom located at the end of the long hallway upstairs.

Lunchtime Bible Study

Every Tuesday, Dr Ritsch offers an hour long Bible study starting at noon.

We are currently studying the Gospel of Mark.

Bring a lunch if you’d like as we discuss what both scholarship and our hearts tell us as we study God’s word.

Find Local Services by Calling 2-1-1

NC 211 is a free, confidential, and multilingual health and human services information and referral system, available 24 hours a day in all 100 North Carolina counties. Managed by United Way of North Carolina and supported by many local United Ways across the state, NC 211 has continuously gained recognition as a trusted resource in the State and serves as a key member of the State Emergency Response Team.

North Carolinians can find help by dialing 2-1-1 (or 1-888-892-1162) or by visiting nc211.org.

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline

9-8-8 is the new three-digit dialing code to reach help for suicide and crisis help across the United States. Please help to spread the word about this very important topic, and encourage anyone you know who may need help to dial 9-8-8. Texting is also an option.

Session Members

Moderator: Dr. Rev. Frederick "Fritz" Ritsch

Clerk of the Session: Bob Keck

Elders:

Class of 2024:

Lydia Taylor, David Rives, Gene Rees and Steve Yokely and Anna Peterson (Youth Elder)

Class of 2025:

Kelley Jackson, Laura East and Jane Tesh

Class of 2026:

Carla Majure, Blanton Youell, Derek Higgs, and Bob Moody