PEWSLETTER
WEEKLY
First Presbyterian Church
Lincolnton NC
|
|
When You send forth your spirit, they are created; and You renew the face of the ground. May the glory of the Lord endure forever; may the Lord rejoice in these works— who looks on the earth and it trembles, who touches the mountains and they smoke. I will sing to the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have being. May my meditation be pleasing to God, for I rejoice in the Lord.
Psalm 104:30-34
|
Church members received the following letter from the Session last week. We share it here for our wider audience:
Dear Members and Friends of First Presbyterian Church, Lincolnton,
Paul’s letters to individuals like Timothy as well as his letters to the various churches address our relationships in Christ, as believers who live their faith through actions and interactions with God and neighbors.
Paul often opened his letters with the salutation, ‘grace and peace to you.’ We write to you in this same Spirit of grace and peace, addressing you both as individual members of Christ and as the church of First Presbyterian, Lincolnton.
We are reminded of your faithfulness built on a history of two hundred and twenty years, and it is therefore with great thankfulness and with sincere regret that the Session voted to (1) call a Congregational meeting (2) for the purpose of voting to
request of the Presbytery of Western North Carolina, that the ministry of First Presbyterian Church in Lincolnton, North Carolina, be concluded and that the congregation be dissolved. (3) That the Presbytery act upon this request at the July 28, 2020 meeting.
After several months of prayerful discernment, we made this difficult decision as we confronted declining resources for several years. In the past year our mounting fiscal needs became overwhelming; following a sewage backup that crippled our education building, created a liability of $237,000 and for which we are still in negotiation with insurance.
Due to cautions related to the COVID virus, we do not know the date of the congregational meeting at this time, though we are thinking late June. Nor do we know how we might conduct a congregational meeting given the limits to meeting in person.
For now, our intention is to communicate as clearly as possible the process ahead, to invite your questions and suggestions for concluding our ministry with grace, dignity and to look forward to a time later in the year when we might celebrate this congregation and the faithful service of so many.
Through June and July, we will continue our worship and mission with the help of our paid staff and your ongoing support. Thank you for your witness to God’s glory throughout this entire process.
In the middle of his letter to the Romans, Paul wrote:
For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers,
nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Friends, we are in the middle of our ministry. Our work to share the Good News does not end with this chapter. May we look to the new thing God is doing among us that we might continue to proclaim, God is here!
Forever in Christ,
Kathy Robinson, Clerk of Session; Session Members: Joe Morgan, Judy Roberts, Jim Ross, Pam Sipe and Scott Smith; Rev. Dr. Kathryn Johnson Cameron, Bridge Supply Pastor and Moderator of Session
Please note: for those members anticipating a move to another church, beginning in August; the usual process is for the person(s) to contact the church to which they want to be transferred. Once they indicate their desire to join that church, the Session of the church they are joining would request a letter of transfer from the Session of FPC-L. After the conclusion of FPC-L's ministry, those requests will be directed to the Presbytery of Western North Carolina who will forward the letter of transfer.
|
Photo by Anne F. Godfrey
Our Church Photo Journal: a proposal
The love felt by members of First Presbyterian Church of Lincolnton for one another is palpable. Our hearts are crushed at the closing of this congregation after so many years of ministry to the people of Lincoln County.
Many in the congregation have loved ones who served this church long years ago & are now in God's presence.
Our kind Bridge Supply Pastor, Rev. Dr. Kathryn Cameron, our devoted session members & all members of this close-knit church family wish to walk away from what we cannot change with grace & dignity. The Session asked for suggestions on how we might celebrate our ministry, which led to my proposal.
I feel grateful for your having welcomed me "home" after long years of absence. I could not have survived the past fifteen months since the passing of my best friend & partner of 53 years of marriage, Tom Godfrey, without the love & support shown by this dear church family.
My hope is to record images of our beautiful church to share with everyone in a feasible manner.
Perhaps these photographs could be emailed to all wishing to keep images. Maybe they could be uploaded to individual flash drives provided by those who would like such.
At the moment, I am working on a photo book but the cost of sharing is prohibitive for any of us. My idea would be to have a copy of the book available for everyone to see. I then would try to obtain preorders of the book on an individual basis.
Any & all suggestions regarding this idea are appreciated & welcomed.
Whatever we come up with, may it be done to God's glory in loving memory of all who ever served this church in one form or another.
with heartfelt gratitude,
Anne Fitzgerald Godfrey
|
Jim Ross would like
everyone to know his son, Bryan Ross, will be receiving
a kidney next Tuesday
from a live donor.
We thank all of your for your prayers and support these last few years.
|
|
For this coming Pentecost Sunday we have two readings about the gift of the Holy Spirit, one from John's Gospel and one from Acts 2. Our Psalm for this week is
Psalm 104.
Listen for God's word as you read
John 20:19-23 and Acts 2:1-21
in preparation for Sunday, May 31. A service of worship will arrive in your email Saturday evening.
|
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
...
John 14: 27
Prayers of Thanksgiving and Intercession
Wind of the Spirit, blow through us on this day of Pentecost and renew our faith.
Re-awaken our love for God, let your flames warm our hearts with trust in Jesus Christ and dare us to do great things in his name.
Holy Spirit breath, we are reminded of your power and your role in transcending our differences.
Hear our prayers for hearts to heed the cry of those who cannot breathe because
the affects of our endemic racism seethe and foster our inhumanity.
Instead of claiming we are all the same, that we all speak the same language; may we respect our differences and celebrate the unity you call us to as One Spirit.
Fire of the Spirit, ignite in us and give us energy to serve you in Christ’s church. Open our eyes to recognize needs for ministry and mission, and to learn from this time when we have had to do things differently in our worship and care for one another.
Hear our prayers for our extended families:
for Mark Elderidge in hospice care;
For Jan Duncan with thanks for her successful surgery and healing in these next few weeks.
For John Carpenter, Rachel Gilbert, Randy Hallman, Ken Mast, Pam Sipe, Eric Sipe, Virginia Yates their families and friends who celebrate these birthdays in May.
For Will
, Pastor Kathryn's son, who celebrated his birthday Monday and experienced a seizure on Tuesday. For the joy of cake and the fear of unknown days ahead.
For the more than 100,000 we mourn; we give thanks for all the good in their lives shared with our nation in the course of their citizenship among us.
Peace of the Spirit, well up within us and give us understanding:
for those facing situations because of the pandemic that we didn’t encounter; for those with whom we’ve disagreed over reopening; for the sins we hold captive; and for problems and challenges we will now face at home, at work, and in your world as we try to recover from the effects of the pandemic virus.
Hear our prayers. By your Spirit,
grow in us the compassion we see in Christ Jesus.
Blow through us and refresh us as your faithful followers,
equipped to serve the world you love in his name, Amen.
Please send your prayer requests to Pastor Kathryn @dkkwcam@gmail.com
|
"Working Hand in Hand with The Lord"
Emergency Services
Soup Kitchen
LINC Meals
Nursing Home Ministry
Amazing Race Against Hunger (replaces Hunger Walk)
Christmas Ministry
Souper Bowl of Caring
Update on Christian Ministries
A recent news story on Charlotte’s Crisis Assistance Ministry and the moratorium on evictions expiring
June 1 created concern in our community.
Due to several generous donations, we are prepared to help with larger past due rent and utility bills.
We are also able to give out larger quantities of food. Our normal process is to give a buggy of food every 30 days per household. Currently, we are giving food out every 15 days.
We also give out perishable foods while the soup kitchen is open; yesterday it was rotisserie turkey and strawberries!
The Ministry’s is practicing health safety. Seating in the lobby is socially distanced with a max of 10 people, there is a Plexiglas wall between the interviewer and the client, and clients receive their food buggies outside of the dock.
If you know someone that needs help with rent, utilities or food, the Ministry is here to help.
Mitzi
Christian Ministry Director
Please note that
all mail, including donations and pledges, is being held secure at the Post Office until picked up by our Administrative Assistant, Jill Goins.
In a text from Jill Goins:
I would like to take time to thank the members of First Presbyterian Church, Lincolnton, and the Session.
I appreciate the support of the church and the decision to continue paying the staff during the time the church has been closed due to stay at home orders from Governor Roy Cooper.
These have been difficult times and difficult decisions have been made. We thank you for recognizing the work of the staff.
I thank the Session members for all of their hard work, their time and the consideration for the difficult decisions that they have had to make.
Your kindness and thoughtfulness are greatly appreciated.
Blessings,
Jill Goins
|
|
Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you.
As the Father has sent me, so I send you."
John 20:21
|
|
Your continued gifts of tithes and offerings will see us through the upcoming months of June and July and help our church complete our mission and ministry. We want to leave a legacy of LOVE as we continue to REACH, TEACH, FEED.
|
|
Church Staff
Rev. Dr. Kathryn J. Cameron, Bridge Supply Pastor -
pastor@fpclincolnton.org - (828)-450-7182
Rebecca Beatty, Director of Music, Organist -
becbea50@gmail.com
Jill Goins, Administrative Assistant -
admin@fpclincolnton.org
Kristen Willis, Preschool Director -
preschool@fpclincolnton.org
Nancy Rudisill, Sexton -
admin@fpclincolnton.org
|
|
Office Hours
Suspended until further notice. Jill Goins checks messages on a regular basis.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
