Pastor Appreciation Day is today, Sunday, October 10, 2021. This celebration happens in the month of October, which also happens to be Pastor Appreciation Month. The celebration of this day began with the idea to celebrate the contributions of priests, ministers, reverends, and pastors to the country, especially in the United States. It is also the day that encourages ministers and pastors to keep up with their good work and continue their contributions.
While Pastor Appreciation Day officially started in 1992, nearly two thousand years prior to this, the Apostle Paul admonished the members of the congregation in Thessalonica with these words, "And now, friends, we ask you to honor those leaders, who work so hard for you, who have been given the responsibility of urging and guiding you along in your obedience. Overwhelm them with appreciation and love" (1 Thessalonians 5:12, The Message).
Pastor Appreciation Day provides you with an opportunity to thank our pastors for his or her service to the church and community. It is my hope that, either on Sunday, October 10, 2021, or some other time during the month of October, our congregation takes the time to overwhelm their pastors with appreciation and love.
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Our first subject matter is "Original Sin". In preparation for our next gathering, please read the excerpt from Calvin's Institutes on this topic.
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2021 Fall Semester Bible Study Plan
Life Groups
Other proposed groups are:
- Tweens Life Group
- Teens Life Group
- Young Adults Life Group
- Men’s Life Group
- Seniors/Retirement Life Group
If you are interested in establishing and leading a group, please inform Elder Daphne Williams at (daphne_williams08@yahoo.com) or Rev. L.
Small, Sr. (at pastor@fupcc.org).
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Due to the changes implemented by Gov. Roy Cooper regarding COVID-19 guidelines for the state of NC, we have lifted some of the restrictions for our in-person worship service.
- Registration is no longer required.
- We are no longer adhering to capacity limits within the sanctuary.
- We will no longer be taking temperature checks and requiring you to sign in before worship service.
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You STILL must wear a mask at all times.
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For church Re-Opening Information, click here
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Other ways that we are bringing you the Word of God!!!
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Our worship service is streamed live every Sunday @ 11 am from FUPC's sanctuary via our church's website (www.fupcc.org) and our Facebook page (@firstunitedcharlotte).
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NOTE: As we continue to partner with First Pres, we will be back to worshiping with them every 4th Sunday via First Presbyterian Church's TV ministry, channel 64- WAXN.
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This
Black History Moment brought to us by Biography.com:
"Henrietta Lacks"
Henrietta Lacks is best known as the source of cells that form the HeLa line, used extensively in medical research since the 1950s.
Who Is Henrietta Lacks?
Henrietta Lacks was born in 1920 in Virginia and died of cervical cancer in 1951. Cells taken from her body without her knowledge were used to form the HeLa cell line, which has been used extensively in medical research since that time. Lacks' case has sparked legal and ethical debates over the rights of an individual to his or her genetic material and tissue.
Early Life
Lacks was born Loretta Pleasant on August 1, 1920, in Roanoke, Virginia. At some point, she changed her name to Henrietta. After the death of her mother in 1924, Henrietta was sent to live with her grandfather in a log cabin that had been the slave quarters of a white ancestor's plantation. Henrietta Lacks shared a room with her first cousin, David "Day" Lacks. In 1935, the cousins had a son they called Lawrence. Henrietta was 14. The couple had a daughter, Elsie, in 1939, and married in 1941. Henrietta and David moved to Maryland at the urging of another cousin, Fred Garret. There, they had three more children: David Jr., Deborah, and Joseph. They placed their daughter Elsie, who was developmentally disabled, in the Hospital for the Negro Insane.
Death
On January 29, 1951, Lacks went to Johns Hopkins Hospital to diagnose abnormal pain and bleeding in her abdomen. Physician Howard Jones quickly diagnosed her with cervical cancer. During her subsequent radiation treatments, doctors removed two cervical samples from Lacks without her knowledge. She died at Johns Hopkins on October 4, 1951, at the age of 31.
HeLa Cells
The cells from Lacks's tumor made their way to the laboratory of researcher Dr. George Otto Gey. Gey noticed an unusual quality in the cells. Unlike most cells, which survived only a few days, Lacks's cells were far more durable. Gey isolated and multiplied a specific cell, creating a cell line. He dubbed the resulting sample HeLa, derived from the name Henrietta Lacks. The HeLa strain revolutionized medical research. Jonas Salk used the HeLa strain to develop the polio vaccine, sparking mass interest in the cells. As demand grew, scientists cloned the cells in 1955. Since that time, over ten thousand patents involving HeLa cells have been registered. Researchers have used the cells to study disease and to test human sensitivity to new products and substances.
'The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks'
The Lacks family learned about the HeLa cells in the 1970s. In 1973, a scientist contacted family members, seeking blood samples and other genetic materials--but inquiries from the family regarding the use of HeLa cells, and publications that included their own genetic information, were largely ignored. The case gained new visibility in 1998 when the BBC screened an award-winning documentary on Lacks and HeLa. Rebecca Skloot later wrote a popular book on the subject, called The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.
Oprah Winfrey and HBO announced plans to develop a film based on Skloot's 2010 book and in 2017, the network aired the biopic. Lacks’ sons David Lacks, Jr. and Zakariyya Rahman, and granddaughter Jeri Lacks consulted on the film and Skloot was a co-executive producer. Organizations that have profited from HeLa have since publicly recognized Henrietta Lacks's contributions to research. The Lacks family has been honored at the Smithsonian Institution and the National Foundation for Cancer Research. Morgan State University granted Lacks a posthumous honorary degree. In 2010, Dr. Roland Pattillo of Morehouse donated a headstone for Lacks's unmarked grave.
Legal and Ethical Implications
The HeLa case has raised questions about the legality of using genetic materials without permission. Neither Lacks nor her family granted permission to harvest her cells, which were then cloned and sold. The California Supreme Court upheld the right to commercialize discarded tissue in the 1990 case Moore v. Regents of the University of California. In 2013, German researchers published the genome of a strain of HeLa cells without permission from the Lacks family. The Lacks family has had limited success in gaining control of the HeLa strain. In August 2013, an agreement between the family and the National Institutes of Health granted the family acknowledgment in scientific papers and some oversight of the Lacks genome.
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Christian Nurture/Service News |
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Habit Charlotte Church Partners Fall 2021 Build
~ Start Date: October 2nd ~
We are filled with joy for the opportunity to participate in another Habitat for Humanity build! The home will be a 3 bedroom house located at 2629 Remington Street, Charlotte, NC 28216. Mr. Jerton Dixon, a native Charlottean, is the homeowner. He is a proud West Charlotte alum and a graduate of Winston Salem State University. If you have not had the opportunity to participate in this ministry and work with members from other congregations and denominations who are helping others reach the milestone of homeownership, try and schedule some time this year.
Please note the following:
- Habitat for Humanity Work Schedule link below lists the date where FUPC is responsible for providing devotion, lunch, bottled water, and snacks.
- We also need church volunteers available to handle any non-logistics that may arise.
- Updated Building Information for Volunteers
- Updated COVID Guidelines for Volunteers
Check with members of the Christian Nurture/Service Ministry Team to determine other ways you can participate in this initiative. Your gifts, time, and offerings support the work of this ministry!
Click the Links below for more information:
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Church Family, please keep the following members in your hearts, thoughts, and prayers as they recuperate and recover:
- Caryle Blakeney-Bennett
- Barbara Cannon
- Shepard Foley
- Ronald Mullen
- Eugene Stitt
- Valerie Tutt
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Happy Birthday to Our October Honorees!!!
Estelle Harris ~ Oct 1st
Jane Reid ~ Oct 2nd
Robert Rhyne, Jr. ~ Oct 6th
Raymond Fair ~ Oct 8th
Lydia Johnikin ~ Oct 8th
Ronald Thomas, Sr. ~ Oct 9th
Sharon Kelley ~ Oct 11th
Marvin Grigsby ~ Oct 12th
Michelle Maxwell ~ Oct 12th
Stephanie Davis ~ Oct 13th
Reginald Clark ~ Oct 17th
Kelly Ervin ~ Oct 17th
Alexandra Huff ~ Oct 19th
Carol Justice ~ Oct 20th
Jeffrey Yongue ~ Oct 22nd
Mattie Grigsby ~ Oct 24th
Yvonne Thomas ~ Oct 25th
Gail Walker-Farmer ~ Oct 26th
Antray Small ~ Oct 26th
Blake Brown ~ Oct 28th
Zevion Williams ~ Oct 29th
Zion Clark ~ Oct 30th
Gail Walker ~ Oct 31st
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Happy Anniversary to Our Oct Love Birds!!!
Ronald & Yvonne Thomas ~ Oct 22nd
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MEETING NOTICE
The Session has scheduled the Annual Congregational and Corporation meeting of First United Presbyterian Church for Sunday, October 31, 2021, @ 12:30 pm.
This will be a virtual meeting via Zoom. You will receive sign-in information next week. Contact your Shepherds or Elder Renea Stitt if you desire assistance using your respective devices or by calling in on the telephone. The purpose of this meeting is to receive annual reports from all organizations and boards and to conduct any other business pertinent to the work of the church.
The presence of all members, although in a virtual setting, brings encouragement and strength to the Body of Christ at First United. Please plan to participate.
~ Clerk of Session ~
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FACILITIES AND MAINTENANCE TEAM
Attention faithful FUPC congregants!!! We need volunteers to be a part of our new Facilities and Maintenance Team. We believe God has given each of us unique gifts and called us to serve. Sharing God's love in a tangible way through service is a reflection of our faith and Christ’s example.
It is the responsibility of this team to maintain the facilities and grounds. To do this takes a lot of volunteer coordination between the Facilities and Maintenance (F&M) Team, Administration Unit, staff, and the congregation, as approved by the Session.
The Facilities and Maintenance Team will meet bi-monthly (days and time TBA). December and summer months may be excluded. Team members should be able to work together to find solutions to a variety of issues ranging from heating to roofing, electrical, and plumbing repairs, as well as the outdoor maintenance of the grounds, and also with due consideration of the need for upkeep of the overall appearance. It is a plus for F&M Team members to be willing to volunteer for labor on occasion to help save on costs.
It takes significant funds and volunteer teamwork to maintain our facilities and grounds. Maintaining our house of worship in service to the Risen Christ is part of the mission of First United Presbyterian Church.
Among the duties of Facilities and Maintenance are:
- Determining the scope of work to be done and whether or not the team feels the work can be performed by qualified church members or whether it should be posted for bids and contracted out to a qualified contractor.
- Contracting vendors in coordination with the Office Manager (as approved by Session from Administration Unit).
- Obtaining bids and making recommendations on the repair and/or replacement of the church’s mechanical systems and equipment.
- Obtaining bids and making recommendations for such services as cleaning, lawn care, and snow removal.
- Yearly inspection of building and grounds, reviewing findings and making recommendations on the annual F&M Team budget.
- Long-range planning for maintenance and improvement of the facilities and grounds.
If you are interested in providing your time and gifts to be of service to this team, please contact the church office at (704) 376-8014.
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Need a Good Read? Then Pick Up
"Fowler's Snare: Assassination and Resurrection of the Human Spirit"
By. Abby Flanders
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First United Family, this is Abby Flanders' book prominently displayed at Park Road Books in Charlotte, NC. Please do your best to support our sister in Christ and church members This is an extended version of the original. The cost is $12.99. Thank you for your prayers and support! Many blessings!!!!!!
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