NEWS @ FIRST
November 12, 2021
This Sunday, November 14, is our collection for Mision Peniel in Immokalee. We are ongoing supporters, providing assistance to area farmworkers. See the list in this newsletter of the non-perishable foods and personal care items most needed.
SUNDAY WORSHIP SERVICE
9:00 a.m. in-person NewSong worship
in the Fellowship Hall
11:00 a.m. in-person traditional worship
in the sanctuary
Online access beginning at 11:00 a.m.
New Member Class / Luncheon
This Sunday, November 14, 12:15 p.m.

If you are interested in membership with this vibrant congregation, please contact Margaret LaMotte Torrence, Transitional Pastor (mltorrence@firstpressarasota.org), to sign up for this gathering. We look forward to getting better acquainted with you!

Stewardship Pledges
We are grateful to those who have already submitted their pledge. If you have not yet completed yours, pledge cards are available through the church website (www.firstpressarasota.org). You may also call the church office to request that a new stewardship packet be mailed to you. Each gift is appreciated!
Watch the Stewardship Videos!
2022 Offering Envelopes
Beginning Sunday, December 5, through Sunday, December 19 there will be a table set up for you to pick up your 2022 offering envelopes. Please pick up your envelopes so we can avoid the cost of mailing.
 
If you have received envelopes in the past and you decide you will not need them for 2022 or if you have opted out in the past and would like to have a box for 2022, please contact Lisa Garcia, Finance Manager by calling the church office (941) 955-8119 or by email at Lgarcia@FirstPresSarasota.org.
Adult Education Class:
"Spiritual and Moral Issues in American Fiction”
- Continue this Sunday, November 14, In-person
 

This in-person Sunday morning class is taught by Dr. John Parks on Sundays at 10:00 a.m., in room 223, continuing today, November 21; and December 5, 12, and 19.

As serious literature, good stories offer what Mathew Arnold called a “criticism of life.” As such, stories invite readers to a reflection upon our condition in the world. This often entails grappling with spiritual and moral issues such as innocence and guilt, loyalty and betrayal, choice and fate, meaning and emptiness, hope and despair. Our exploration will be prompted by reading stories by Edgar Allen Poe, Stephen Crane, Ernest Hemingway, Willa Cather, Katherine Anne Porter, and Raymond Carver. We may find that these stories offer a diagnosis of our condition and a challenge to our beliefs.

Come for stimulating interaction with these timeless themes. Stories to be discussed are posted on News@First and provided as printed hand-outs in the class and the church office one week prior to discussion. Be sure to print out and read the first two stories below for discussion this Sunday!
Presbyterian Women

Thank you to all who participated in the seed-packing event for Hope Seeds International Inc. Together, we prepared 2,500 packages of tomato seeds!

Your financial support to PW is important. If you normally give when we meet together, then it is easy to forget to mail in your PW pledge. Please send in your pledge this month so that we can make our year-end mission donations and you can take the charitable contribution credit on your tax return. Make your check payable to Presbyterian Women and either mail it to the church office or drop it off while you are on campus. If you have any questions, please contact our PW treasurer, Mary Webb, at (941) 758-6035.

Bible study is on Wednesday, November 17, at 10:00 a.m. on Zoom. We will be discussing Lesson 3 on Rahab from the Horizons 2021-2022 study guide. All are welcome. The study guide is not required to participate. Please contact Elaine Barnett at (941) 792-0670 for the Zoom link.  

On Tuesday, December 7, at 11:30 a.m., all women of the church are invited to lunch at MADE Restaurant for a time of fellowship. The restaurant is located at 1990 Main Street #112, Sarasota, in Courthouse Centre.  
Children and Youth News
Attention: Middle School and High School Students
We Need Your Help — Receive Volunteer Hours for School: Monday, November 22

Join us to help those less fortunate at All Faiths Food Bank! This counts toward community service hours for school! It is a great opportunity to give back and show how thankful we are for all God’s blessings to us. Meet us at All Faiths Food Bank (8171 Blaikie Court 34240) at 8:10 a.m. for coffee and treats before we begin this much-needed work. We will finish at 11:30 a.m. We need a minimum of ten volunteers! Bring a friend or relative to join us! Sign up using the link below:
New Adult Education Zoom Class - “Advent: The Season of Hope and Expectation”
Begins Tuesday, November 23  
     
This learning opportunity for adults begins Tuesday, November 23 at 11:30 a.m. and continues each Tuesday through December 28 via Zoom.
 
In the weeks leading up to Christmas, the Church celebrates Advent. This season gets its name from the Latin term adventus, meaning “coming.” It is a season when the Church prepares for Christmas Day—the great celebration of God, the Savior, coming to us in Jesus Christ. In this time of waiting and anticipation, we will focus on what Advent brings as Christ comes. The class will discuss together the rich biblical and theological terms centering on the message we proclaim as we tell the world of the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
 
Join with others to engage in the wonder of preparing for Christ’s coming. All are welcome! The class will be led by Elaine Barnett, a member of FPC, an elder and a Certified Christian Educator. You can sign up for the class by emailing Elaine at ewbarnet@me.com.
 
November 23: Advent Hope                  December 14: Advent Love
November 30: Advent Peace                 December 21: Christmas Savior
December 7: Advent Joy                      December 28: Epiphany Light 
Sarasota Music Club, which is holding its concerts at First Presbyterian this year, invites you to an entertaining program on Friday, November 19th at 10:30 a.m. in the Fellowship Hall. The program is free and open to the public. The barbershop quartet, known as Afternoon Delight, will be presenting a program titled “A Delightful Interlude.” We hope you’ll join us.
Invest in Children
The Blessing Trees are Coming!
Watch for the Blessing Trees to appear on November 21! These are special trees, filled with gold stars that offer opportunities to bless some of the Brentwood Elementary School families who are in need of support this Christmas. In previous years, we have shopped for gifts for the children but last year, because of the pandemic, we presented them with gift cards. With the lingering uncertainty about COVID-19, our Invest in Children Steering Committee has decided to request gift cards again this year.

The gift cards will bless 50 children (students at Brentwood and their siblings) with two $30 gift cards and their parents with at least two $50 grocery gift cards. On the tree, there will be stars requesting gift cards for $25, $30, or $50 or checks of any amount to support this project. Select the star/s of your choice and record your selection on the sign-up sheet nearby. Thank you for your ongoing support for our mission partner, Brentwood Elementary School, especially in these difficult times. The families from this Title1 school will be blessed by your generous support.
International Fair Trade Holiday Sale
At Covenant Mennonite Fellowship
(5420 Ashton Road)
Saturday, December 4, 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon

Shop from an array of Fair Trade jewelry, Christmas ornaments, toys, folk art, coffee and chocolate, collectibles, wall hangings, kitchen and tableware, and Nativity scenes.

All sales benefit artisans in developing countries in Asia, Africa, and Central and South America. Find unique handcrafted holiday gifts AND support farmers and craftspeople in developing nations. Fair Trade guarantees a living wage to workers.

For more information, contact our member, Jean Martin, who will be serving at the event (phone 941-544-4474 or email jean.martin4474@gmail.com). She will be most happy to welcome anyone from First Presbyterian!
FPC Mission Partnership
with All Faiths Food Bank
 
Join our fun team of volunteers and help distribute food to our community neighbors Thursday mornings, 9:15-11:30 a.m.
 
The food distribution is by drive-through with volunteers loading cars as clients circle in the parking lot (between 10:00 and 11:30 a.m.) Volunteers are needed each Thursday. Task options include sorting and distributing food, setting up, cleaning up, and directing traffic.
 
For information or to sign up,
contact Bob Kirkpatrick: rkirkhv@aol.com or (941) 355-0809; or Dave Householder: dphouse47@gmail.com or (724) 462-4235.
Remembering Our Church Family in Prayer
Thank you for upholding members of our congregation with special prayer needs during this time. Click on the attached link for a complete list:
We Care Poster Recipients
We are grateful to our team of We Care poster artists who creatively design poster-cards for our church members when they are hospitalized. Special notes, prayers, and well wishes are written on the cards by our congregation on Sunday mornings, and the cards are mailed out.

On the link below is a list of those who have recently received a We Care poster-card. Consider how you might support them through a prayer, a card, or a phone call. Thank you for being family for one another!
Memorial Services
Please mark on your calendar memorial services for

  • Irene Halsted and grandson on Thursday, November 18, 2:00 p.m. in the sanctuary

  • Betty Fee on Monday, November 22, 11:00 a.m. in the sanctuary
Tech Team Members Needed!
Are you interested in learning to operate our sound equipment, cameras, or media? You can have a ministry of tech support for our in-person and live-streamed services. This is an exciting time in the life of our church as we use technology to grow our congregation’s outreach. To get involved, call or text Jimi Camastro, our Tech Team Leader, at (941) 779-6754.
Cowden-Smith Library Hours
Library open Monday – Friday
10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Sundays, 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon

The library book cart in the narthex offers a varied selection of our newer books from which you can choose, including some children's books. No due dates; simply return when you finish with them. A sign-out sheet is on the cart.
Giving Options
Please continue to mail your contributions to us at the church or donate online. Your gifts make a great difference during this challenging season.

Online: If you are interested in giving electronically through our secure e-giving process, please visit FirstPresSarasota.org and select the online giving button.

Texting: Are you interested in the convenience of contributing by text message? Text FPC2050 to 73256 to donate via text. Standard rates may apply.

Mail In: All mail, including contribution checks, securely arrives to our church office.
Current COVID Mask Policy
On October 26, 2021, the session decided that, as long as daily new cases of COVID remain under 10 new cases per 100,000 in Sarasota County:
 
· Masks will be optional for those who are vaccinated.
· Masks will continue to be required for those who are unvaccinated. 
· With the exception that the preschool board will have the autonomy to make masking decisions affecting the preschool. 
 
If daily new cases rise above 10 cases per 100,000, masks will again be required when inside (for both the preschool and other church groups).  
Our next SunCoast Blood Drive is Dec. 19
8:30 a.m. - 1:15 p.m.
Call the church office to sign up (941) 955-8119.
Pastoral Care
When you or a loved one is hospitalized, it is important that you contact the church or one of the pastors to inform us directly and inform the hospital that you are a member of our congregation and would welcome a visit by one of our pastors. Hospitals will not contact the church. We have also discovered that some will no longer even list a patient as our church member on their internal records unless the patient is careful to note their relationship with our congregation. Thank you for your assistance.

We’re Here for You!
The FPC care team, Stephen Ministers, deacons, elders and church staff continue to be available for you. Please feel free to reach out to Cheryl Track, Faith Community Nurse (941) 320-3828 or call the church office (941) 955-8119 if we can be of support to you.