“To begin again with God means seeing that we cannot go on as we are. To build again with God means we cannot go running or creeping in the old groove, in the old, bad, accustomed routine. It means looking to see if God’s light and power are not visible, and they are often closer than we think. It means waiting . . .not in the void, but for God’s redemption, for the bars of our prison to burst open suddenly. Jesus has summoned God’s kingdom into real life as the surest and most real of all things.”---Karl Barth 1886-1968

There will be a congregational meeting this Sunday, December 13, to act upon the Session's recommendation that Rev. Rachel Vogado be free to accept a calling to another congregation beginning in January, 2021, and to let her relationship with First Presbyterian Church conclude at the end of December, 2020.

Thanks for sharing the gift of your voices:

The Christian Education Committee has created a new way for you to pray this Advent with an outdoor prayer wall in front of the sanctuary. If you are walking or driving by the church, you are invited to stop and add your prayer to the wall, as many times as you would like. This could be a wonderful weekly or even daily prayer practice. There will be a prompt for you to lift up a prayer for hope, joy, peace, and love and you will tie your prayer to the wall. Throughout the Advent season you will see the prayers of our congregation and community create a vision of Advent hope. 

As we prepare for the season of Advent, the Christian Education Committee is working on many opportunities for you to learn, pray, worship, and ponder the birth of Jesus. While many of our beloved traditions will look a bit different this year, we are working to create meaningful expressions of those traditions. The Youth are working to share some Advent joy as we tell the Christmas story virtually. If you have pictures or videos from previous years' Christmas Pageant, please email them to Rachel. We appreciate your help as we gather some good historical photos from Christmas Pageants past!

What is a Blessing Box? A Blessing Box is a cabinet that provides food and toiletries to those who are in need... many of whom are homeless.

Where is the Blessing Box located? In the next few weeks, the box will be constructed on the backside of the church beside Church Street.

Who benefits from the Blessing Box? Homeless citizens, people experiencing hunger, and our congregation in providing items for this important mission of our Deacons and church.

What can I do to help? Drop off items Sunday December 13th 1-4 p.m. Look for us at the portico for drop off. See the list below as a shopping guide.

Packing Items:

Gallon zip lock bags

Sandwich size zip-lock bags

Lunch bags

Food Items:

Canned meals: raviolis, Spaghetti O’s

Soup

Small plastic bottles of juice

Juice boxes, Capri Suns

Crackers

Packaged flavored noodles or rice

Pasta

Spaghetti sauce

Peanut Butter

Jelly

Tuna Fish – canned and the packets

Baby food, formula, baby wipes & diapers

Individually wrapped snacks: crackers, breakfast bars

Macaroni and cheese

Plastic containers of cereal –individual size

Vegetables

Hormel meals

Toothpaste

Dish soap, cleaning wipes

Shampoo, conditioner, lotion, shaving cream, toothbrushes, deodorant

Be sure to check out our Virtual Sunday School Classroom with our new Growing in God's Love curriculum. For Pre-K through 5th grade children, this includes a monthly supply kit to take home and use with the virtual classroom each week.

The kits are available in the lobby area of the Fellowship House. Be sure to grab your kit to be ready to go for the lesson this Sunday. You can access the virtual classroom by clicking here or by going to the First Presbyterian Church website! The content will change weekly as we hear a new story each Sunday.

Also, please help us as make our kits. Fill out this short questionnaire to help us best prepare for you and be good stewards of our resources! https://forms.gle/gVDJVUxn5X7vfw488

If you are a family that has a Youth in grades 6th through 12th, be sure to sign up to receive the First Youth Fellowship newsletter. That is the best way to see all the ways youth can get connected and deepen their faith through service, community, and fun! Sign-up here to receive the Youth Newsletter for detailed information about all youth happenings. **If you didn't receive the Youth Newsletter last week, please be sure to check your spam or junk folder.

All youth families, please fill out the following short questionnaire to help Rachel best prepare and anticipate the needs for our various youth gatherings. Questionnaire found here: https://forms.gle/Z63UdUmwV43xojgG6

Girl Scout Troop 334 met on Sunday, to continue their Journey work as they prepare to launch Silver and Gold Award project ideas. During discussions, they assembled gingerbread houses and enjoyed fellowship in the courtyard. The Brownie and Junior troops will meet this Thursday to continue their respective Journey books.

Brownie Troop 323, Junior Troop 3142, and Girl Scout Troop 334 meet on December 19th for ornament making and delivery of their Night Shelter dinner.

Learn more at the Job Openings page on our website.

Please remember that year-end contributions must be received in the church office by noon on December 31st. For stock transfers, please notify Suzanne Russell so that the proceeds can be applied to the correct account in a timely manner. Thank you!

Our pastoral staff continues to preach and teach through various means of technology. Please join us for all of our worship opportunities on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/firstpresconcordnc/),

YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfpzVUz-ZgaCJuogIMor8Iw) or our Sermon Archives (https://firstpresconcord.org/worship/sermon-archives/).