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FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

"Downtown by history and by choice"


Bi-Weekly Newsletter



August 24, 2021 Issue 17

Helpful Links

AUGUST BIRTHDAYS


SEPTEMBER BIRTHDAYS

ONLINE CALENDAR

Using the CHURCH LIFE APP

FAKE EMAILS and SCAMS

DONATE FLOWERS

for worship

Contact Valerie in the church office if you encounter missing or non-working links in this newsletter.

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Letter from the Pastor


Dear friends,



Where do we turn when our world turns upside down?



Where do we turn when we have to send our unvaccinated children back to school in the midst of a raging pandemic?

 

Where do we turn when nations, communities, families, politicians, and neighbors rage at one another like angry waves crashing against one another in a storm at sea? 

 

Where do we turn when violence and oppression rise like flames licking a dry forest?

 

Where do we turn when our own hearts are weary and we cannot, cannot, face another decision, another sorrow, another fear?

 

Where do we turn when our 40-day wilderness experience seems to have turned into a 40 year trial?

 

Where do we turn when all seems lost? Our ancestors knew where to turn.


Read the rest of Mindy's letter here.

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CONGRATULATIONS TO ...

Ian Gitata and Marsha Barrett who were married on August 12 at a ceremony at Wadsworth Mansion in Middletown, Connecticut. Ian is the oldest son of Mary Gitata and he joined FPC in his youth.

CONDOLENCES: 

The love and concern of the congregation are extended to the family of former FPC member Dr. Eddie M. Williams, III of Columbia SC. Eddie was a member of FPC in the mid-to-late 1970s before leaving to serve as a medical missionary in Zaire.

CONCERNS recently added:

  • Lynn Everett, mother of Luke and Rob Everett, hospitalized at Duke Regional
  • Heath Tuttle, son of Chris (pastor) and Carrie Tuttle (Westminster PC, Durham)
  • Jim Vacca, father-in-law of Will Chambliss
  • Karen Renee Shoaf, friend of Kathy Parkins and a US military pilot recently sent to Afghanistan by the Army to transport people out.
  • Chris Grill, former FPC ministry intern, and members of his immediate family have been diagnosed with the COVID variant and are recovering at home.
Our Concerns List
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The church office will be

CLOSED

Monday, September 6

in observance of the Labor Day holiday.

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Thank you, Ruby!

One of our stellar youth, Ruby Gentithes, had a brilliant idea. She gathered a few of her neighborhood friends, and they held a back-to-school Bake Sale on Sunday, August 22, to raise money for the Food Pantry at Iglesia Emanuel. Those young women cooked up a storm, and the results were amazing! They raised $500! Those funds will go a long way in helping us provide nutritious, fresh food for struggling families. Kudos and abundant thanks to Ruby!

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Daytimers Fellowship News

Thank you to Mickey Velkey for arranging a July gathering of Daytimers for lunch at Bennett Pointe Grill. It was good to gather again and enjoy one another's company. While we had hoped to gather in August, the pandemic numbers are trending in the wrong direction, so we are postponing future gathering until further notice.

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Citizens of the Triangle are currently under a mandate to wear a mask when inside public spaces to fight the ‘pandemic of the unvaccinated.' FPC is adhering to this mandate and asking members and friends to wear a mask when inside buildings at FPC.

WORSHIP SCHEDULE

In-person and online via FPC's YouTube channel at 11:00 a.m.



Sunday, August 29

22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Mindy Douglas, preaching


Sunday, September 5

23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Mindy Douglas, preaching


Sunday, September 12

24th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Worship with Communion is planned

Mitzi Lesher-Thomas, preaching


Sunday, September 19

25th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Mindy Douglas, preaching


Sunday, September 26

26th Sunday in Ordinary Time

John Weicher, preaching

FAITH FORMATION - SUNDAY CLASSES FOR ADULTS

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FAITH & COMMUNITY CLASS

Sundays via Zoom at 9:45 a.m.

CLASS ZOOM LINK


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LECTIONARY CLASS

Sundays in the Robert Daye Meeting Room (East Parlor) and via Zoom at 9:45 a.m.

CLASS ZOOM LINK

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JOURNEY'S CLASS

discussing the Book of Acts

Sundays in the Wilson Parlor and via Zoom at 9:45 a.m.

CLASS ZOOM LINK

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SCRATCH CLASS

via Zoom on Sundays at 8:00 p.m.

ZOOM LINK

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This fall, classes for PreK-5th grade will be held via zoom from 10:00-10:30 a.m. through at least October to ensure our children stay safe! 

Signup to receive Children's Weekly news with links to class and activities from Lenore Champion, Director of Children's Ministries.

YOUTH NEWS

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CONGREGATIONAL LIFE

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***TOMORROW***

Wednesday, August 25

6:00 - 8:00 p.m.

Come meet some new friends or reconnect with familiar faces - cookout style!


Hosted by Jane & Bill Brown

1312 Dollar Avenue



Sliders provided, please bring a side to share


RSVP to Jane Brown

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FIRST FRIENDS ANNUAL BEACH TRIP

September 24-26

 

We are good to go if all are vaccinated. If there are some not vaccinated, then we need to mask when indoors.

 

Please contact Kathy Conner with questions.

 

Please respond to the Evite by September 5th. 

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Looking for an easy way to meet other FPC'ers? An easy, low time commitment way to get involved? Want to help others experience the warm welcome you received at FPC? The deacons and Mitzi are looking for people willing to serve as ushers / greeters one Sunday per month. Don't worry about being locked in - substitutes and opportunities to change will always be available as lives and plans evolve. You'll be part of a team working together to help welcome people to worship. No committee meetings and no prior experience needed - just a willing heart. Questions or ready to volunteer, email Mitzi Lesher-Thomas.

SERVICE & MISSION EVENTS & OPPORTUNITIES

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Thanks to everyone who donated to this annual school supplies drive. FPC collected four bins of supplies

and you also gave online.



THANKS SO VERY MUCH!

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Financial donations can also be mailed to:

Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)

P.O. Box 643700

Pittsburgh, PA 15264-3700.

Note on your donation that you are a member of FPC, Durham NC.

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News from Growing thru Grief

August 31 marks the final zoom meeting for Growing thru Grief. That day Joan Eastman will be our presenter, with “The Joys and Challenges of Meeting In-Person.”


On September 14 we are returning to in-person meetings at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, 1200 W. Cornwallis, in Durham. Due to the holiday, there will be no meeting on September 7.


September 14 also marks the beginning of our fall Introduction to Grief series. This year, the series will feature six consecutive presentations by Jane Williams. Jane is a PhD clinical psychologist who has done post-graduate fellowships at UCLA and Harvard Medical School and a member of First Presbyterian, Durham. She has focused her long career on helping those dealing with trauma, life threatening illness and grief. Recently retired from Wake Forest Medical School, she is the author of Mysterious Moments: Thoughts That Transform Grief, Liberty Partners Press, 2017.


Here is the list of the topics that Jane will address:

Sept. 14              Changes in Our Understanding of Grief

Sept. 21              The Process of Grief

Sept. 28              The Uniqueness of Grief

Oct. 5                  Narratives and Grief

Oct. 12                Meaning Making and Grief

Oct. 19                Healing



Safety protocols will be in effect: everyone attending must provide documentation of completed vaccines for COVID-19 or a negative test within three days. Masking will follow governmental rules. Attendees will be required to sign a Pledge indicating their vaccination status and agreeing to safety procedures. For more information, contact admin@growingthrugrief.org.

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If you are fully vaccinated, contact Jen McGonigle to sign up for one of FPC's regular time slots each month, or call Jen at 202-421-5870. If you have interest in serving at Urban Ministries at other times and in other ways, click VOLUNTEER.

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Iglesia Emanuel Food Pantry Continues Strong! Read more.


Contact Margaret Rubiera to hep with this mission endeavor.

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