Please be in prayer for Carrie Mills, David Landers, Frank Frey, Janet Olshewsky, Kay Steinman, Michael Fingerle, Steve Knopik, and all the candidates who have opened their heart to God’s leading.

Your participation is needed for the annual SURE Nehemiah Assembly on Tuesday, April 5, at 6:30 p.m. at First Congregational Church, 1031 S. Euclid Avenue. Face masks will be required.

At This Year’s Action . . .

• Help SURE influence State Attorney Ed Brodsky to create a fair and free adult civil citation program! This program will ensure that those who commit first time, non-serious misdemeanors will get a second chance and NOT be branded for life with an arrest record.

• Meet SURE’s new Executive Director, Dai Thao

• Hear about the exciting future we, together, are stepping into at SURE.

• Hear the great work our Criminal Justice Committee has been doing.

• Learn how you can get re-engaged with SURE! 

SURE is asking participating congregations to help make the greatest impact by attending in-person. However, if it is not possible for you, the rally will also be available via Zoom (link below). Be sure to register in advance through the link and then you will receive an email confirmation with Zoom instructions.

On Tuesday, April 5 at 11:30 a.m. all women of the church are invited to meet for lunch at the Breakfast House for a time of fellowship. You need not be an active member of PW to attend. Guests are welcome, too. The restaurant is located at 1817 Fruitville Road in Sarasota. There is ample parking and both inside and outside seating is available. No reservation is needed to attend. The Breakfast House menu featuring soups, sandwiches, salads, and breakfast items can be found on their Facebook page.

Place your order by Monday, April 11. Use the link below to print a form to complete.

Meal-packing events have been well supported at FPCS in the past, but we’ve never attempted to pack this many meals on one day. On Sunday, April 24, beginning at 1:00 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall, we hope to package 20,000 meals to be transported into Poland and Ukraine. 

The sponsoring organization, Kids Against Hunger, has worked out a special price of 34 cents / meal. All shipping costs are being donated. Volunteers will package highly nutritious, vitamin-fortified soy-rice casseroles, which require only water and heat for preparation.

Join the thirty members of Key Chorale’s elite Chamber Singers for a fun and nostalgic concert called American Roots, featuring the sweet vocals and folk instrumentals of the West Palm Beach trio, the Lubben Brothers. This will be one of the most memorable concerts you hear all season, and it offers a special discount code for First Presbyterian members and friends. Hear bluegrass originals, haunting spirituals, and southern gospel songs that reach back into the American past. This will be Americana at its best!

Continuing Tuesdays, April 5 & April 12  

Lent is a time to focus on the cross as a central symbol of Christianity. Biblical and theological perspectives are being explored to understand why and how Jesus’ death is so crucial to our faith. This class is led by Elaine Barnett via Zoom and held Tuesdays at 11:30 a.m.

Lesson titles are:

Apr 5 - The Cross in the Tradition of the Reformers

Apr 12 - The Invitation to Live into the Way of the Cross

The class is on Wednesdays at 12:00 noon by Zoom, taught by Doug DeCelle, retired minister, and Hal Serrie, anthropologist. They are presenting the biblical evidence that God’s intention is to preserve all living things, bringing them to perfection and a joyous, harmonious existence. .

Members and friends of First Presbyterian Church are invited to participate. For details about this unique class, visit Doug DeCelle’s website:

Click below for the Zoom link to participate in this class:

PDA is in the emergency response stage, primarily supporting refugees in transit—Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs)—in Ukraine in addition to refugees who have crossed borders) with food, hygiene items, potable water, baby supplies, first aid, psychosocial support and more.

For the most up to date information, visit www.pcusa.org/PDA/Ukraine

A heartfelt thank-you goes to those who have already contributed. We sent a check this week for $1,080 from last week’s contributions—for a total of $7,130 to-date.

Received during the season of Lent, One Great Hour of Sharing (OGHS) is the single, greatest way that Presbyterians come together every year to build God’s household and welcome our neighbors in need around the world. We provide relief from natural disasters, food for the hungry, and support for the poor and oppressed. Each gift to OGHS helps to improve the lives of people in challenging situations through three impactful programs:

Presbyterian Disaster Assistance: Works alongside communities as they recover and find hope after the devastation of natural or human-caused disasters.

Presbyterian Hunger Program: Takes action to alleviate hunger and the systemic causes of poverty so all may be fed.

Self-Development of People: Invests in communities responding to their experiences of racism, oppression, poverty and injustice and educates Presbyterians about the impact of these societal ills.

This special offering will be received on Easter, April 17. If we all do a little, it adds up to a lot!

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.

Join our fun team of volunteers and help distribute food to our community neighbors Thursday mornings, 9:15-11:30 a.m.

JUST COME! There is no need to sign up!

 On Friday, April 22 you will have a unique opportunity to come and join our deacons for conversation with members of our congregation who also identify as LGBTQ+. The evening will provide an opportunity for us to hear each other’s stories and to grow in our understanding of the myriad ways God’s love finds expression. Hors d’oeuvres will be served and a basket will be available to receive donations to defray the cost of the food.

Please pray for those who are experiencing particular health needs and consider sending a note of encouragement. Click on the link below for the prayer list:

We appreciate 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!

Sunday, April 24, All Ears Mobile Hearing Services will be at First Presbyterian from 8:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. providing hearing evaluations at no charge. Appointments are required. Please contact Cheryl Track, Faith Community Nurse, for questions and to reserve your space, 4tracks@comcast.net,(941) 320-3828.

Our next blood drive at First Presbyterian is Sunday, June 12, 8:30 a.m. - 1:15 p.m.

Due the significant decline in COVID rates in our area, masks are now optional for worship and while in any buildings on campus for those who are fully vaccinated.

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.

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.

 Church Life is an app that is available to church members with iPhones or Androids. You can search for members, view phone and address information, photos, and family members. You can send a text or call with a simple tap on the phone number. You can even send an email. Here are two simple steps:

1) Download ACS Church Life from your App Store using either iPhone or Android (Blackberry and other mobile devices can enter www.churchlife.mobi from any mobile browser).

2) Log in. Use the same username/email and password you use for your member login on our website.