9:00 a.m. Contemporary service with NewSong band and guest musicians

11:00 a.m.

Thank you to those who are providing the beautiful flowers we will enjoy in our Easter services. For those who indicated, you may pick up your flowers after the 11:00 a.m. worship service. All other flowers will be delivered to our homebound members as an expression of love from our congregation. Click on the link below to read the list of all who contributed to the Easter flowers and who they are in memory or honor of.

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. Envelopes will be in your worship bulletin. If we all do a little, it adds up to a lot!

The word “Alleluia” means “praise the Lord”—a term of great joy! The Lord is risen; God’s reign has come; our joy is complete; and we greet the risen Lord with shouts of "Alleluia!" When you are in church today, notice something from each of your five senses.

Sight – What did you see at church today? Anything different? Did you see new friends at church today?

Sound – What did you hear? Loud things AND quiet things? Listen for someone greeting a friend? Perhaps you’ll hear an infant.

Smell – What do you smell today? Perfumes? Flowers? Candles?

Taste – Did anyone near you offer a mint? Is there sometimes a snack or brunch after church? On very special days we taste the bread and juice of communion.

Touch – What surfaces did you touch today? Papers? Crayons? Did you help put flowers in the flower cross? Notice things for your five senses each time you’re at church.

Position descriptions and nominating forms are available in the entryway (along with a box for you to submit completed forms). The due date for submissions is Sunday, May 8. Please be in prayer for the committee as they undertake this work of discernment.

Presbyterian Women meets for Bible study on Zoom at 10:00 a.m. this Wednesday, April 20. We will discuss lesson 8 from the Horizons 2021-2022 study guide led by Merle Chorba. All are welcome and the study guide is not required to participate. Please contact Elaine Barnett at ewbarnet@me.com for the Zoom link. 

The 2022-2023 PW/Horizons Bible study guide, Celebrating the Sabbath, by Carol M. Bechtel is now available to order. If you would like one ordered for you and are not already on the list, please contact Flossie Paul at way2goflo@gmail.com. Copies cost $10; large print costs $15.

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. Dessert hors d’oeuvres will be served and a basket will be available to receive donations to defray the cost of the food.

To allow us to plan appropriately, we would be grateful to know if you hope to attend. Please call the church office at (941) 955-8119. We will meet at 6:00 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall. All interested persons are welcome. Margaret Torrence will moderate the conversation and we will conclude the gathering with a brief time of worship.

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. 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.

All Ears 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.

Sponsored by The Community Foundation of Sarasota County, The Giving Challenge is an exciting 24-hour online giving event that connects 700+ nonprofit organizations with passionate donors and community members to support diverse causes and create enduring impact in Sarasota, Manatee, Charlotte, and DeSoto counties.

Through The Giving Challenge, you can donate to many of our mission partners, including Family Promise, All Faiths Food Bank, Resurrection House, and S.U.R.E. Anyone with a credit card and access to the internet can donate. You can also visit www.GivingChallenge.org on your mobile device. Donations of $25 or more are accepted and are 100% Tax-deductible.

The Patterson Foundation will provide a 1:1 match for all unique donations, up to $100 per donor, per organization made online with a credit or debit card. There is no limit to the number of nonprofit organizations a donor can give to and still get matched. Click below for the giving link:

FINAL Class THIS Tuesday, April 19, via Zoom  

This class is led by Elaine Barnett via Zoom and held Tuesday at 11:30 a.m. The class concludes on April 19.

The final class is on Wednesday, April 20, at 12:00 noon by Zoom, taught by Doug DeCelle, retired minister, and Hal Serrie, anthropologist.

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

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

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.

The Data Dump will be held on Friday, April 22, from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at 8100 Lakewood Ranch Blvd, Lakewood Ranch, FL 34202, hosted by our technology service provider, SouthTech. This is a great annual opportunity to safely and securely dispose of your old technology devices.

Accepted Items: LCD monitors, printers, computers, laptops, keyboards, tablets, cables, and phones.

Items Not Accepted: Televisions, batteries, and CRT monitors.

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!

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 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.