NEWS @ FIRST
July 8, 2022
All are welcome at First Presbyterian Church!
We hope that you experience the love of God
and of this congregation as we worship, celebrate,
and serve with one another.

SUNDAY, JULY 10
TWO WORSHIP SERVICES

9:00 a.m. NewSong contemporary service
in the Fellowship Hall

11:00 a.m. traditional service
in the sanctuary
Online access beginning at 11:00 AM

Let's look together to the future
by completing the following
sentence:

My dream for our church is . . .

Click on the button below to print a card to complete. Submit in the offering basket, mail it, or drop it by the church office (2050 Oak St, Sarasota, FL 34237), or email to: info@firstpressarasota.org

Your input is important!
The One Book concept was created in 1996 in Seattle, Washington to help foster the expression of ideas within the community through the shared love of reading. Sarasota County first introduced the One Book One Community program in 2003 with the book A Land Remembered by Patrick D. Smith.

The Sarasota selection for 2022 was The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind and was celebrated through the past fall and winter, including a visit from the author, William Kamkwamba. You can view video clips from his visit and learn more about this community program at this website:
The Education and Formation Committee is continuing the community conversation surrounding this book throughout the month of July by encouraging our congregation to read this book (picture book version available for young children) and take the opportunity to talk about it during the fellowship hour between Sunday services. After years of being separated, this is an opportunity for us to share an experience and connect with members you may or may not know very well. 
 
Discussion questions, reading guides, and activities will be available in print and online throughout the month. You can check out a copy of the book from your local library, find a digital copy, or purchase a copy online. There will also be a handful of hard copies of the book for all ages available to borrow from the church library. We will culminate this month-long “conversation” with a viewing of the Netflix film of the same name at the end of July (date and time TBD). Please join us and “continue the conversation!”
 
Contact Carrie Mills, Emily Weitekamp, or Molly Horner with any questions you may have.
Please Wear Your Name Tag
Don’t forget to wear your church name tag to Sunday services. Seeing your name will help provide a welcoming environment for all. It will also help our new bridge pastor learn your name. Call or email the church office if you need a new or replacement tag. The cost is $7.00.
info@firstpressarasota.org or 941-955-8119
Pavilion Construction Progress
The paint will soon be applied on the finished exterior side of the beams. Then soffits will be installed, followed by gutters and downspouts, scheduled for the week of July 11.
 
Finished trim around the columns is expected to be delivered the week of July 19. Then they will finish the trim for the rest of the beams, all the columns, and braces. Painting and trim out electrical will follow. The end of July is the current projected date for completion!
SURE: Exciting News!
Wednesday, June 29, 2022, pastors from SURE and members and pastors from Manatee's STREAM (Stronger Together Reaching Equality Across Manatee) organization met with State Attorney Brodsky and Assistant State Attorney Schaefer at Bethlehem Bible Church. 
 
State Attorney Brodsky told us that the Adult Pre-Arrest Diversion program (adult civil citation program) has a start date of July 1. Deputies and officers have been trained and are ready to go. This is a major accomplishment!
 
Brodsky also shared a process for waiving fees for people who are deemed indigent, including the fees for Crime Stoppers. Again, the State Attorney heard our concerns and positively responded! We will be continuing to monitor this program and work to get it established with STREAM in Manatee County as well.
Inter-Generational Activity
Sponsored by First Presbyterian Church’s
Membership and Fellowship Committee at
 
Mothers Helping Mothers
 
5933 North Washington Blvd. Sarasota
(2/10 of a mile south of University Blvd)

MONDAY, AUGUST 1
9:00 am - 12:00 noon

Mothers Helping Mothers is an all-volunteer, not-for-profit organization providing basic necessities, such as clothing and baby items (cribs, car seats, strollers, formula), free of charge to families in Sarasota, Manatee, and surrounding counties. They are a valued partner with Family Promise.
 
Mothers Helping Mothers needs our help! We are going to help on Monday, August 1. Join our FPC inter-generational group of volunteers from 9:00 a.m. to noon as we sort donations, stock the shelves, and work to improve their store. All ages of volunteers are welcome.

There will be tasks appropriate for youth and adults. For more information contact Joanne Simons SimonsJC1@gmail.com or (703) 798-7330.

Use the link below to sign up to help Mothers Helping Mothers
College/Continuing Education/  
   Technical School Scholarships
Scholarship money is available for the upcoming school year. Interested students and families should go to the website www.firstpressarasota.org, go to “Grow” tab and select “Young Adult” and print application. The application and transcripts must be received by Wednesday, August 31.

Transcripts, including those from the spring 2022 semester, should be included or forwarded as soon as available. Returning applicants need only to have their transcript sent and update their contact information. All college and technical school students are encouraged to apply. Please send applications to the church, attention: SCHOLARSHIPS.
Cowden-Smith Library Hours
Library open Monday – Friday
10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Sundays, 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon

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.
FPC Blood Drive
Anyone who donates twice from June through September will receive a $20 Amazon gift card! 
Mark your calendar for our next blood drive Sunday, September 18.
COVID Update

On July 8, 2022, the CDC assessed Sarasota County’s COVID risk level as “high.” In keeping with our current session policy, masks are required of all worshipers. (Worship leaders may choose to lead without masks, since being maskless makes it easier for those persons to be understood.)

Thank you for doing what we can to slow the spread of the virus. When we return to a “medium” or “low” risk assessment in the county, masks again will be optional for those who are fully immunized.

Below is an easy-to-use CDC link to show current risk assessment by county:
Remembering Our Church Family in Prayer
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 Care Poster-Card Recipients
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!

First Presbyterian Preschool Website firstprespreschoolsarasota.org
Church Office Volunteers Needed
Do you like offering a friendly face to greet people, directing phone calls, and handling basic office tasks? We still have several positions open for weekly half-day volunteers to assist our FPC administrative support staff.
 
  • Monday: 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. OR 1:00 - 4:00pm
  • Wednesday: 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
  • Thursday: 1:00 - 4:00 p.m.
  • Friday: 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. OR 1:00 - 4:00 p.m.
 
We’d love to have you join our office team! Thank you to our current volunteers, Jeff Bartell, Susan Beach Carter, Pat Feeney and George Chorba. To find out more, call Rachel Martin, Operations Manager, at (941) 955-8119. RMartin@FirstPresSarasota.org or text to (941)-266-4450.
Staying Connected with the Pastor and Church Staff,
Session Members, and Deacons
By clicking on the link below you can easily access a printable document with the names and positions of your church leaders. Use this list when you want to contact them, send a word of encouragement, or pray for them!
Pastoral Care
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.

We’re Here for You!
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.
If you have an adult family member or loved one living with mental illness, you are not alone. Join NAMI’s peer-led Family Support Group.
 
In-person, NAMI meets at First Presbyterian Church every third Thursday, 6:30-8:00 p.m., in the forum, July 21 being the next group. In-person groups also meet in Venice and Lakewood Ranch. See NAMI calendar for more details. Namisarasotamanatee.org
 
An online group meets the second Thursday, July 14 being the next group, Zoom meeting ID: 854-2511-6349 and the fourth Monday, July 25 being the next group, Zoom meeting ID: 411-700-5178.

Click the link below to read the many exciting activities sponsored this summer and fall by NAMI:
Get Easy Access to Church Member Information
 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.
 
You can bring your phone into the church office and Lisa Garcia, Finance Manager, would be happy to help you navigate getting Church Life on your phone. Please call (941) 955-8119 to set up a time.