We will be joined on Sunday by guest worship leaders

The Stillman College Choir!

On Sunday, we welcome to worship the Stillman College Concert Choir under the direction of Mrs. Jocqueline K. Richardson with accompaniment by Dr. Jeremy McMillan.

    The Stillman College Tour Choir is a select group of students who engage audiences around the world. The Tour Choir has traveled to several major cities, including San Francisco, San Antonio, Houston, Galveston, Lake Charles, Nashville, Charleston, Washington D.C., Detroit, New York, Chicago, and our sister city Schorndorf, Germany. Notable Alumni of the Stillman College Choir include Dr. Roderick Georgo, distinguished tenor and Professor of Music and Voice Area Coordinator for the Department of Music at the University of Montevallo, Mr. Thomas L. Davis, Jr., Alabama People’s Choice Male Vocalist of the Year and winner of the Grand Champion of Ameatur Night at the Apollo Theater, and Mrs. Jocqueline K. Richardson, noted as one of the most distinguished choral directors in the southeast and current Director of Choral Activities at Stillman College. As a member of the Renowned Stillman College Choir, it is certain that you will not leave the way you arrived; your life will be ENRICHED!

    As a token of our appreciation of the Stillman College Concert Choir leading us in worship today, you are invited to contribute to a Love Offering. This offering will go to directly to Stillman College Concert choir and their ministry! 

    You may give to the love offering by text to give (Love Gift), Check (memo line Stillman). 

Catherine will be out of the office on Monday, October 3rd but if you send an email or leave a message on the phone your name will be added to the Soul Feast list on Tuesday morning. 

October 13th at 7:00pm in the Fellowship Hall

Join our new Garden Club: Blossoms and Beans!

Meets on the second Thursday of the month

7:00pm-8:30pm in the Fellowship Hall

Ask Jeff MacKenzie for details. Questions about plant problems, seedlings, compost issues, and all things botanical are welcome!

Hiring!

After reevaluating our needs for Play Café we have updated our job listings for Program Director and Classroom Assistant.

Whomever fills these positions will be integral to making Play Café what it can be!

See the job descriptions below, or at fpccov.org/employment-opportunities and let us know if you know someone you think would be a good fit!

 Martha Circle will meet Tuesday, October 4th at Alice Walker's home. She will provide a light lunch. Day Kennon will facilitate  Lesson 2: Sabbath and Creation.

Elizabeth Ann Circle will meet on October 4th at 10 AM to discuss chapter 2 in our study book “Sabbath and Creation”. We will meet on zoom and possibly in person in the fellowship hall as determined by the circle.  

If you are interested in joining an evening Presbyterian Women's Circle, please contact Debi Selin at selin1955@live.com. Our hope is to provide a space of study and fellowship!

Last week you received in your inbox the first edition of "Grace Notes & Gospel Gab," a new email offering from our Director of Music and Worship Arts, Alicia Taylor. Subscribe to learn about FPC’s music ministry and the history behind special worship services. Read an excerpt from the first edition below, then click the button to subscribe for next month's edition!

Second in importance to John Calvin in the history of Presbyterianism was John Knox. He lived in Scotland in the mid 1500's. He led the Reformation in Scotland following Calvinistic principles, protesting the Catholic Mary, Queen of Scots, and Catholic practices. His ideas set the moral tone for the Church of Scotland and shaped its democratic form of government. The Presbyterian form of church government and Reformed theology were formally adopted by the national Church of Scotland in 1690. The Church of Scotland remains Presbyterian today. [ ... ] Presbyterian Heritage is a day set aside by the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) to celebrate and learn more about the rich history of Presbyterianism in America. Let us give thanks for all God’s goodness and for all those who came before us in creating the wonderful heritage of our church.

The children's music ministry has started back! We have had a great first few rehearsals with both of our children's choirs. If you'd still like to join, you can! We would love to see you tonight!

Children 3 years old through 1st grade are invited to Joyful Noise at 4:30pm to ring bells, sing praise, participate in a rhythm band, and puppetry arts.

Our new children’s choir Hallelujah Kids! meets at 5:00pm for 2nd through 8th graders to learn to ring tone chimes and handbells, sing praise, participate in a drumming circle, and puppetry arts.

Childcare will be available from 4:30 PM to 8:00 PM each Wednesday at the church for parents who are involved in the church music ministry.

Please contact Alicia Taylor at 770-656-6848 or at alicia@fpccov.org with any questions

Did you miss Heavenly Prep, our workshop for end of life planning? 

You can still enjoy some of the resources, with our workbook linked below!

Heavenly Prep is not about making sure your loved ones do the right thing when you are gone. It is about ensuring they don't have to worry about what the right thing is.

Neeley’s Notions is an email offering that gives Neeley the chance to start a conversation about the inspirations and influences she thinks about while writing her weekly sermon. The email will be sent on Friday mornings when the Spirit leads, and you can reply to the email with your thoughts and stories for Neeley to read.

Click the button below to subscribe.

The first Sunday in October is designated as World Communion Sunday, which celebrates our oneness in Christ with all our brothers and sisters around the world. Paul tells us that we are to “discern the body” when we partake of Holy Communion, mindful that we note our relationship to all our brothers and sisters in Christ in the celebration.

Celebration of World Wide Communion Sunday was adopted as a denominational practice in the Presbyterian Church (US) in 1936. Churches in other denominations were invited to celebrate with us from the beginning, but it wasn’t until 1940 when the Department of Evangelism of the Federal Council of Churches (a predecessor body of the National Council of Churches) promoted extending the celebration to a number of churches around the world that the practice became widespread. Today, World Communion Sunday is celebrated around the world, demonstrating that the church founded on Jesus Christ peacefully shares God-given goods in a world increasingly destabilized by globalization and global market economies based on greed.

- PCUSA, PresbyterianMission.org

What I love about World Communion Sunday is the image of all God’s people around the world breaking bread and partaking in the cup together on one Sunday. On World Communion Sunday we recognize our call to be peace makers. The peace of Christ belongs to everyone everywhere.

“More than ever, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) needs to be a beacon of peace to the world and a witness to the ways of Christ, the Prince of Peace, in our communities,” said the Rev. Carl Horton, coordinator of the Presbyterian Peacemaking Program. 

What does peace look like to you? Who would you identify as a peacemaker in your life? How are we called to be peacemakers?

You are invited to talk about peace in your home as we prepare our hearts for World Communion! Faith Formation Practice – talk about peace and make bread together…

Please keep the following people and their families in your prayers this week:

Prayers:

• Jack Wheeler - recovering from hernia surgery
• Patrick Carmichael - recovering from surgery
• Donald Vining, brother of Danny Vining - vision loss
• Mike Crews, son-in-law of Jack Wheeler - awaiting results of bladder cancer treatment
• Gary Lott, brother of Tricia Hinton - recovering at home following two brain surgeries
• Linea Lott, niece of Tricia Hinton - leukemia
• Richard, friend of Miriam and Jack Wheeler - waiting for bone marrow match to treat leukemia
• Warren Liem - ongoing health issues
• Bruce Hamilton, brother-in-law of Theodosia Wade - recovering from surgery for cancer
• Beverly Beasley, friend of Jean Elder - caring for husband who has leukemia
• Larry Cox, brother-in-law of Randy Layton - cancer
• Bob Darby, friend of Jeff Mackenzie - leg amputated, kidney problems
• Karen Lein Kaasa, sister-in-law of Julie MacKenzie - home health care
• Lonnie Lamb - chemotherapy
• Melissa, friend of the congregation - cancer
• Tony Taylor, brother of Alicia Taylor - recovering at home from heart attack
• Blair Weaver - health issues
• Joyce Williams, sister of Danny Vining - Alzheimer’s
• Martha Young, grandmother of Cotton Young - lung cancer

Condolences

• Our prayers are with Danny and Beth Vining and their family as they mourn the loss of their nephew, Joe Burckel.

Independent and Assisted Living

• Penny Blakeney - The Oaks Assisted Living
• Julia Brubaker - Benton House
• Jean Elder - Florida with her daughter
• Dot Fincher - Merryvale
• Travis Moss - Westbury, Conyers
• Louise White - Merryvale

Military Service

• Billy Scarborough - Marines
• Koen Ardis - Navy

Please click HERE to update your prayer requests or send new prayer requests.

You will be sent a check-in after three weeks.

In your email please indicate if you would like your request to be confidential or added to our prayer list.