October 15, 2020 | Special Events for First (Scots) Presbyterian Church, Charleston, S.C.
Our Mission: Summoned by God's grace in Jesus Christ to be friends and servants of God and neighbor, and to make disciples of all nations, our mission is to glorify and enjoy God, honoring the past, serving the present, and shaping the future through shared ministries of worship, education, mission, and fellowship.

Saturday, November 7, 2020

(Serving Community Organizations Together Saturday)

This year, the Local Missions Committee is excited to host our 2020 SCOTS Day on Saturday, November 7. SCOTS Day is an opportunity for all members to volunteer, either in person or through drive through donations, to help some of First (Scots)'s community partner organizations that provide invaluable services to the Charleston community. We have organized four in person volunteer options and will be collecting food, school supplies, and winter coats for elementary aged children, and sending personalized cards to residents of The Village at Summerville. Each activity is an opportunity to put our faith into action as we seek to be the hands and feet of Christ in our community. In Mark 10:45, Jesus tells us, “For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.”
Lowcountry Food Bank
(in person volunteer opportunity)
 
The Lowcountry Food Bank serves the 10 coastal counties of South Carolina and distributed more than 32 million pounds of food (including 9 million pounds of fresh produce) to hungry children, adults and senior citizens in 2019. Since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, demand for food has increased exponentially: an extra 100,000 boxes of food (over 15,000,000 pounds) have been packed by volunteers and distributed by the Lowcountry Food Bank since March.  The Lowcountry Food Bank distributes food to nearly 300 partner agencies including schools, churches, soup kitchens, homeless shelters and emergency food pantries. Please join other First (Scots) members for a morning shift at the Food Bank on November 7th – experiencing the operation first-hand provides a powerful insight into the food insecurity experienced by our community’s most vulnerable members. 

We will meet at the Lowcountry Foodbank at 9am and will pack food until 12pm at the latest. Volunteers need to be at least 14 years old. The address for the Lowcountry Foodbank is: 2864 Azalea Drive, Charleston, SC 29405. 

For more information about Lowcountry Food Bank go to http://www.lowcountryfoodbank.org

Please sign up through the Lowcountry Food Bank SignUpGenius.
My Sister's House
(in person volunteer opportunity)

Since 1980, My Sister's House, has provided safe shelter to victims of domestic violence and their children throughout the tri-county area. Women who are in immediate danger from verbal, emotional, physical or sexual abuse are eligible to stay in our emergency shelter at no charge. During the pandemic, My Sister's House residents were forced to stay in area hotels, but fortunately they are returning to the house itself. First (Scots) members have historically provided much support to My Sister's House with landscaping, and this year we will be tackling a couple projects to get the yard tidy and ready for the resident families.

Volunteers will meet at First (Scots) at 9:00 a.m. to caravan together to My Sister's House. Volunteers must be 18 years old or above. Please bring gardening tools for your own use (especially gloves, rakes, clippers, weed wackers, etc.), and don't forget your mask. 

For more information about My Sister's House, go to https://www.mysistershouse.org/

Please sign up through the My Sister's House SignUpGenius.
Star Gospel Mission
(in person volunteer opportunity)

For more than 116 years, Star Gospel Mission has provided housing and assistance to homeless men in the Charleston community. Focusing on working men with housing insecurity, Star Gospel provides housing as well as rental and utility assistance, food, emergency medical assistance, and transportation. First (Scots) is proud to partner with Star Gospel Mission to provide this life changing mission to our neighbors.

On SCOTS Day, we will be helping with a variety of outdoor landscaping projects. Volunteers will meet at First (Scots) at 9am to travel together to the Star Gospel house. We expect to be finished by 12pm. Volunteers must be 18 years old or over. Please bring gardening tools for your own use (especially gloves, rakes, clippers, weed wackers, etc.), and don't forget your mask.

For more information about Star Gospel Mission, go to https://stargospelmission.org/

Please sign up through the Star Gospel Mission SignUpGenius.
Green Heart Project
(in person volunteer opportunity)

The Green Heart Project was founded in 2009 to build garden-based experiential learning projects and school and community gardens to foster community through growing, eating, and celebrating food. We will be volunteering in the Green Heart Project's newest urban farm garden at 900 King Street. This opportunity is open to volunteers of all ages (children must have a parent in attendance), so bring the whole family to help weed, plant, and harvest together.

Volunteers will meet at the Green Heart Garden, 900 King Street, at 9am-12pm. Please bring gloves for your own use.

For more information about Green Heart Project, go to https://greenheartsc.org/

Please sign up through the Green Heart Project SignUpGenius.

The Village at Summerville –
Presbyterian Communities of South Carolina
(remote volunteer opportunity)

If you’d like to volunteer your time but are unable to serve in person, we will distribute greeting card making materials (or you can use your own) to make cards for residents at The Village at Summerville (formerly known as the Presbyterian Home). As is true at senior communities throughout the country, the lack of in person visitation has been particularly hard on many residents of The Village. Help bring a smile with a personalized note. We will collect cards from Sunday, November 8 until the following Sunday, November 15.  Do not address your cards to a particular resident as be mailed as a large package and distributed to residents who are in particular need of some uplifting mail.

For more information about The Village at Summerville, please go to https://www.prescommunities.org/senior-living/sc/summerville/the-village-at-summerville/

Please sign up through the The Village at Summerville SignUpGenius.
Drive Through Donations (remote volunteer opportunity)

Another option for those who are unable to participate in in-person volunteer opportunities is making donations (a valuable part of our SCOTS Day effort). On Saturday, November 7 from 9am-12pm, we will be collecting donations at the main entrance to Molly Wier Hall to support Our Lady of Mercy Community Outreach and Memminger Elementary. 

Food Donations: please bring non-perishable, shelf-stable foods to help stock food pantries run by our partner organizations. Ideal donations include canned foods, dried pasta, rice, dried beans, individually packaged snacks, and bottled water.

School Supplies: throughout the year, First (Scots) is collecting school supplies desperately needed by children at First (Scots) neighborhood elementary school, Memminger Elementary. Supplies in need include composition notebooks, pocket folders, number 2 pencils, erasers, markers, crayons, colored pencils, loose leaf paper, construction paper, tape, school glue and glue sticks.

Winter Coats: We are also collecting new or gently used winter coats to be distributed to Memminger students. We particularly need larger children's sizes, such as 10-14 or small adult. 
If you have questions about SCOTS Day, please contact:

Rebecca Johnson, Chair of Local Missions Committee
Carmen Glenn, Vice-Chair of Local Missions Committee
James Rogers, staff liaison to Local Missions Committee
First (Scots) Giving App
Giving Has Never Been Easier!
Giving has never been easier… just download the Abundant app in Google Play or Apple, and search for First (Scots). You will be directed to create an account and then you will be able to give directly from your phone!
You can now support First (Scots) in three ways:

Online: www.first-scots.org
To easily make a one-time gift or setup recurring gifts, click “Giving” then select “E-”Giving

Text: Just text FIRSTSCOTS to 73256

Download Abundant Giving App
For questions, please call Deanna in the church office .
at 843-722-8882
Stay Connected
We have a secure, online church membership app ready for you! Simply follow these steps to upload Church Life app to your device:

1. Click this LINK to register. Look for "Need a login? Click here." After selecting "Click here" you'll enter your email (the one we have on file at church) and name and when the email has been verified, you'll be sent a link to set your password. First (Scots) will not have access to your password.

2. Upload the Church Life app from your app store. It will ask you for your email and password (the one you set from the email link in step 1). The app is free and only church members have access to our directory.

3. Start using the app! Enjoy being able to find the email you need to thank someone for reaching out, or the phone number for calling to offer support.