THE BANNER
September 11, 2019
Blessing of the Animals
Mark your calendars for Sunday, October 6th, 2 p.m. -3 p.m.! We will be having a Blessing of the Animals Service for  church and community. We will gather with our pet friends (farm friends are also welcome!) on the church lawn in front of the main sanctuary entrance on Union Street (or Davis Hall if raining). [Participants may choose to bring a picture of their pet instead if such a gathering would be frightening or stressful for their pet]. We will enter into a brief liturgy extolling God's good creation and sing together, All Things Bright and Beautiful. Then, each animal (or picture!) will receive an individual blessing from participating clergy. We will also remember beloved pets that have died by name. Finally, we will enjoy some refreshments/fellowship together and learn about the work of the  Concord and Greater Cabarrus Humane Society.  

The Blessing of the Animals liturgy has ancient roots in the Christian tradition and usually coincides with the Feast of St. Francis in early October (see:  Blessing of the Animals - Let All Creation Praise  for more information). Families with children and grandchildren are encourage especially to come! I look forward to seeing you and your neighbors there!
Thank You from First Kids!
Special thanks to Boy Scout Troop 3 and to their leader, Harris Morrison, for sprucing up the playground this month, just in time for the beginning of a new school year at First Kids. We are so grateful to Knox Morrison and Jock Liles for lending equipment to help "fluff" the sand. Every single Scout, and many of their dads, were once First Kids themselves!
Thank you guys, for a job well done.     
Wednesday Night Fellowship
Join us on September 18th at 6:00 p.m. in Davis Hall for Wednesday Night Fellowship when our guest speaker will be Robert Kirk from the West Cabarrus YMCA. Our menu for the evening will feature Jayne's delicious chicken pot pie, rice, fruit, salad and dessert. Be sure to make a reservation with the church office by September 15th. There is a sign up sheet in the Fellowship House.
Discipleship Opportunities
God gives us many gifts and as a church we joyfully work together to worship, learn, and grow. There are many ways in which you can join in the work that Jesus Christ is doing here with us. We need your help, and we hope that you will joyfully and prayerfully consider joining in the work of God's church.
Help us as we worship! Sign up  here to be a lay reader to share God's word with us in worship as you read scripture on Sundays. Materials and information will be sent to you for the week that you sign up.
Help us as we learn! Sign up  here to help support the great work of our Sunday School teachers and be a shepherd in our Elementary, Middle School, and High School Sunday School classrooms.
Help us as we grow! On Sundays, our Middle and High School youth gather around a meal together for shared fellowship and fun. We need your help to fill the meal calendar to feed the youth on Sunday night. Please consider signing up here with a friend for a Sunday night! Rachel will send out meal specifications, including allergy needs, etc.
Thank you for sharing your gifts with the church!
First Youth Fellowship
All Youth (6th-12th Grade) are invited to join us for Youth Fellowship on Sunday Evenings. Please make note of our gathering times. Choir meets from 4 p.m. - 5 p.m. in the Choir Room, then all Youth gather in Davis Hall from 5 p.m. - 6 p.m., with dinner from 6 p.m. -6:30 p.m. During our time together, Youth will have breakout discussion groups for Middle School and High School. For more detailed news on all youth activities, please sign up for our Youth Newsletter here!
Race Together - Uncover - Reflect - Unite
Free - 4 Part Weekly Series to Discover More about Race in the U.S.
Thursday Evenings 6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. September 19th - October 10th, 2019
Location: Community Room @ All Saints Episcopal Church - 346 Country Club Drive, Concord
Details :  Register
Email: RaceTogetherSeries@gmail.com
Girl Scouts for All Ages at First Presbyterian Church!
We invite ALL girls of our neighborhood, church, and community to join us for Girl Scouts this year! 

Daisies:  Kindergarten & 1st grade - should see Rindy Moore's message regarding the parent meeting on September 15th below.

Brownies:  2nd & 3rd grade girls  AND Juniors:  4th & 5th grade girls should contact Rene Prager ( thepragers@yahoo.com ) with your interest. We plan to have our 2nd-5th graders enjoy 1-2 meetings a month with a focus on community service outreach. 

Older Girls:  6th through 12th grade girls are invited to our next activity for Tie-Dye adventures on September 20th. Contact Rene Prager or Kirby Sheridan ( kirbypsheridan@gmail.com ) for meeting location & details.

All troops are open to members and nonmembers of First Presbyterian Church. Interested adults are also invited to contact Rene Prager for ways to get involved in this great organization! 
Photos: Several 2nd-5th graders served dinner at the Night Shelter on Saturday so they could learn a little more about Girl Scouts and how we can help in our community.
Troop 334 prepared and served dinner at the Night Shelter on Friday night. Fresh fruit, cereal, and milk was left behind for breakfast the following day
Daisy Girl Scout Troop 3631
Troop 3631, First Presbyterian's Daisy Girl Scout Troop, has been re-established and will be hosting an information meeting on Sunday, September 15th.
 
Daisy Troop 3631 will be open to Kindergarten and First Grade Girls. All interested families are invited to attend a parent meeting on Sunday September 15th at 4 p.m. in the Children’s Chapel (2nd floor of the Education Building). An activity will be provided for the girls while the parents meet. 
This program is open to member and non-member families, so please spread the word! Contact Rindy Moore with any questions rindybmoore@gmail.com or 704-699-1237.
College Students - You've Got Mail
We would like to keep in touch with our college students during the school year! Students (or families), please provide your student's name, school, mailing address, and email address by September 30th. If you have 2 different addresses for mail and packages, please include both. You may call the church office or email the information to Rene Prager at thepragers@yahoo.com.
Fall Potluck Luncheon
We hope you can join us for our Fall Potluck Luncheon after our 11:00 a.m. service in Davis Hall on September 22, 2019. Please bring your side dish or dessert to serve 8-10 people to the kitchen prior to worship. We are looking for volunteers, high school age and older, to receive food prior to worship at 10:30 a.m. or to clean up after lunch. If you are interested email Valerie Thomas: vstmd@ctc.net. Remember many hands make light work!
Visitation Team
The Visitation Team  will meet September 22 right after the Potluck Luncheon at approximately 1 p.m. in the Library Conference room in the Education building. The purpose will be to reorganize to make sure we are visiting and contacting all of our home bound and shut-in members. If you have previously been on the team, if you have just recently agreed to visit, or if you have an interest in visiting, please try to attend. The committee wants to insure we are in touch with our members on a regular basis. An updated list of those to visit will be provided.
For more information, please contact Jerry Dyer at (704)305-0901 or jdyer1947@gmail.com .
The ’Sale Exodus’ is coming September 29th!!
Thank you for your donations thus far to the 65 Church St. Market for Mission! We are still taking donations each Tuesday, 1 p.m. - 4 p.m. in room 306 of the WY building. It looks like we will have a great sale to raise money for Bayonnais, Haiti and the Commons. Before that day, however, we need your help getting the items to Davis Hall. Be a part of the Sale Exodus, if you can, immediately following the worship service September 29th. A 15 minute donation of your time will make all the difference. Learn more in this Sunday’s Minute for Mission.
Ushering Opportunities Available!
A message from Mary Garrison and Brooks Fulton:
The Deacons are looking for volunteers from the congregation to help with ushering duties this year.
We especially want to encourage families (or groups of 2-4 people) to participate. This is a great opportunity for the youth to be more involved in the church service and mission. Our own children have really enjoyed participating in this project with us. Please consider volunteering your time. We are happy to go over the logistics of ushering with you. We know it can seem daunting, but if our kids can do it so can you!
For questions or to volunteer email Mary:  marygar803@gmail.com or call her cell 980-521-7605. Thank you for your consideration.
Red Cross Cabarrus County VIP Blood Drive
Monday, September 16th in Davis Hall from 2:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
To schedule an appointment, visit  redcrossblood.org and enter: Cabarrus VIP
Sign-up Links
Lay Liturgists
Sign up here to be a lay liturgist to
read scripture in worship on Sundays.

Sanctuary Flowers
To give the congregation a gift of
sanctuary flowers please click here
to sign-up for one or more Sundays
during the year .
Youth Newsletter
Sign up here to receive the Youth Newsletter for detailed information
about all events related to youth who are in 6th-12th grade.
Wednesday Night Fellowship
September 18th
6:00 p.m., Davis Hall
Calendar
Sunday, September 15, 2019
Rev. Dr. Scott Kenefake preaching
Luke 15:1-10
Thursday, September 12
9:00 a.m. First Kids Preschool
9:00 a.m. ALC Board
Friday, September 13
9:00 a.m. First Kids Preschool
9:30 a.m. Adult Literacy Tutoring
Sunday, September 15
9:45 a.m. Sunday School
10:30 a.m. Sanctuary Choir
11:00 a.m. Worship/Moment for Mission
3:00 p.m. Children's Choir
4:00 p.m. Daisy Troop 3631
4:00 p.m. Youth Choir
5:00 p.m. Youth Fellowship
Monday, September 16
9:00 a.m. First Kids Preschool
11:30 a.m. AA
2:30 p.m. Red Cross Cabarrus VIP Blood Drive
Tuesday, September 17
9:00 a.m. First Kids Preschool
10:00 a.m. Adult Literacy Tutoring
11:45 a.m. Lunch Bunch
1:00 p.m. Church Street Market Drop Off
7:00 p.m. Boy Scouts Troop 3
7:00 p.m. PW CT
Wednesday, September 18
7:30 a.m. Men's Bible Study
9:00 a.m. First Kids Preschool
2:00 p.m. Staff Meeting
6:00 p.m. Fellowship Supper
7:30 p.m. Sanctuary Choir

Church Report
Birthdays

September 11 - Kay Christy, Jim Todd
September 12 - Steve Bradley, Cate Davis, Harmon Gibson, Pat Hoover, Marc Niblock Jr., Carolyn Ruth
September 13 - Brian Bixler, David Bryant, Meredith Hoover
September 14 - Dale Carpenter Jr., Elissa Farmer, Gay Holding, Laura Martin
September 15 - Colson Bishop, Anita Brown, Hampton Dickens Jr.
September 16 - Fred Brooks, Paul Campbell, Willis Nesbit
Staff
Scott Kenefake
Interim Senior Pastor 

Associate Pastor 
for Care and Mission

Associate Pastor
for Christian Formation
Director of Music and Organist

Choirmaster

Suzanne Russell
Church Administrator

Financial Secretary
Heath Ritchie
Maintenance Superintendent

Director of First Kids

Church Hostess

Wedding Director
Contact Info
First Presbyterian Church

70 Union Street North
Concord NC 28025 

Mailing Address: 
PO Box 789 Concord NC 28026-0789

Church Office Hours: 
Monday - Thursday, 8:00 am - 4:00 pm
Closed Friday
The Commons Prayer Room Summer Hours:
Monday: Closed
Tuesday/Thursday/Friday - Open for Scheduled Groups
Wednesday: 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Saturday: 10:00 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Sunday mornings for FPC

Memorial Garden:
(980) 621-0719
36 Spring Street SW
Concord NC 28025
 
Garden Hours: 
Tuesday - Saturday, 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
Sunday, 1:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Closed Monday