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In-Person & Online
Worship Service at 10:00 a.m.
Call 888-969-5508 to listen to the service
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Dear Friends,
August is here! That means that the last days of summer are before us and school will be starting again soon. We are planning now for a more “normal” fall in the life and ministries of First Presbyterian Church, Burlington. Our dream and plans have been that Festival Day, Sunday, August 29, will be an opportunity for us to safely gather again. On that day, worship will be at 10:00 a.m. in the sanctuary and at 11:00 a.m. we are having a catered lunch on the front lawn of the church. I do hope you will plan on being with us on that day. It will be wonderful to “gather at the welcome table” that Sunday and to reconnect with one another.
In the last couple of months, we have celebrated a return to a sense of normalcy without a mask mandate. As we are witnessing the rapid surge in the Delta variant, the COVID-19 Re-Entry Task Force and the Session will be looking this next week at the wisest policy as we continue to worship, learn, and serve together. Your spirit of commitment to the well-being of everyone in our community will be most helpful as we continue to struggle with this menacing and deadly pandemic.
My prayers are with you all! I also ask your prayers for one another!
Ron
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In-Person 10:00 a.m.
Sunday Worship
Continuing through September 5, there will be one in-person and live streamed service at 10:00 a.m. in the sanctuary. No sign-up is necessary and there will be congregational singing.
For more information and the necessary protocol for this indoor service, please click here.
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You Asked for It! — Summer Worship Series
Our worship series this summer is entitled, “You Asked for It!” A couple of months ago, we asked you to suggest a title for one of our summer sermons —and the response was incredible. Your church staff had a difficult time selecting just 12 from all of the suggestions. As you will see, many of the sermon titles reflect what we have all encountered during the pandemic. The preacher was responsible for picking a text for each title, so it will be interesting to see where he/she goes with it. Join us each week either in-person or by live streaming.
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Lemonade on the Lawn
The Fellowship sub-team will host Lemonade on the Lawn on the patio after worship on Sundays. Everyone is invited to stop by and grab a cool, refreshing lemonade. No snacks will be provided at this time.
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August 8 is a Pennies for Hunger Sunday
Your donation to Pennies for Hunger helps local organizations such as Allied Churches of Alamance County, Andrews Elementary Snack Pack Program, and Residential Treatment Services of Alamance, Inc. Please send your check or cash donation to the church office: Attn: Lacey Way, 508 W. Davis St, Burlington, NC 27215.
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The Session has called a congregational meeting for Sunday, August 15, immediately following the 10:00 a.m. worship service. The purpose of the meeting is to hear and act on a report from the Nominating Team. They will be proposing a slate of members to serve in the Class of 2024 on the Session and Diaconate. Please join us that Sunday in-person, if possible, so we can be assured of a quorum for the meeting.
The following will be placed in nomination for the office of Elder:
Katharine Frazier
Scott Moffitt
Willy Fisher
Sarah Vincent
Mary Beth Adams
Leanna Giles
Nan Perkins
Nan Wooten
The following will be placed in nomination for the office of Deacon:
David Vaughan (serving for 2022 and 2023)
Gail McGowen (serving for 2022)
Raye Sapp
Bibby Pinson
Leah Johnson
Vanessa Garrison
Catherine Matthews
Julie Wellman
Patty Roberts Collins
Cindy Cothran
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Explore FPC Lunch, August 15
All visitors are invited to join the FPC staff on Sunday, August 15 at 11:00 a.m. in Calvin Hall to learn more about FPC. Many of you have been worshiping with us by live streaming during these past seventeen months and we would love the opportunity to see you in person. A boxed lunch will be served. We will maintain social distancing.
Please call the church office by Wednesday, August 11 to register: 336-228-1703.
Giving During the Summer
The Summer months are often spent traveling and vacationing, please do not forget that church operations continue even when you're gone. You can continue your giving through our online platform Tithely here or mail your contribution to the church office.
2021 Flower Donations
Thank you to all who have donated flowers for our Sunday worship services! The Chancel Guild needs your help again. Floral donations are offered on a first come/first serve basis. If you would like to reserve a Sunday, please complete and submit the form attached here to Kathleen Seagroves in the church office or to Cindy Cothran, Chancel Guild chairperson. Thank you in advance for your donation!
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Youth Slideshow
The Youth Slideshow is back again! Join us on August 22 in Calvin Hall at 5:00 p.m. to catch a glimpse of what the youth groups have been up to this past year! We will also be sharing new and important information for the 2021-2022 school year as well so youth families are highly encouraged to attend. We will not be holding dinner this year. A Zoom option is available. Contact Taylor at tbarner@fpcburlington.org for more information. Hope to see you there!
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“All are Welcome!” on Sunday, August 29 to our Annual Festival Day Event
- 10:00 a.m. “All are Welcome” to Worship together in the Sanctuary & Backpack Blessings
- 11:00 a.m. “All are Welcome to the Big Table” event on the front lawn including: lunch (chicken or vegetarian), a mission project for children in the Morrow Town Community, a Welcome All activity to fellowship with your church family and friends, live music, and field day games for everyone.
As children of God, we are called to practice hospitality, to extend the invitation, to welcome to all, and to provide a place for all who show up. God’s table is BIG and there is always room for more. The banquet image in Luke 14:15-24 is our guide for the day as we “Welcome All.” During lunch, in addition to live music and yummy food provided by the Fellowship Team, Charlotte Nance-Allbright, our Director of Christian Formation and Education will share “Our 2020 Story” with you as well as invite you to consider what it means that all are welcome to the “big table.” The Children’s Ministry Team will host field games for all ages and abilities. The Mission Team will offer you opportunities to join in serving our neighbors.
Lunch is free (donations appreciated).
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Men of the Church Oyster Roast & BBQ
We will gather on Saturday, October 30, at Hugh Cummings’s Farm (2609 Pitts Road, Elon) at 5:00 p.m. to watch college football and at 6:00 p.m. enjoy Hugh Cumming’s steamed oysters and Phil Langley’s BBQ. We will conclude the evening around 7:30 p.m. Bring a pair of gloves and shucking knife if you have one. You will greatly enjoy the time together and can’t beat the cost — $10 for oysters, BBQ, and beer and soft drinks! If you have questions, call Jerry Bailey (336- 213-1942) or Hugh Cummings (336-260-8071).
Call the church office (336-228-1703) to make your reservation.
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Civil Rights and Racial Justice Trip —
A multi-racial group of 20 people from the Burlington area are planning a Civil Rights and Racial Justice trip in November.
WHY are we going?
- To learn more deeply about our country’s history of racial terror in an effort to understand the ways that racism manifests itself today.
- To be on holy ground where Civil Rights activists risked (and many gave) their lives to move our country towards greater racial equity in many forms.
- To grow together in our personal and collective commitment towards antiracism within the Christian faith and in our community.
The trip is supported by, but not limited to, members of First Presbyterian Church Burlington. The planning team consists of Loy Campbell, Ron Shive, and Tony Foriest. Every participant must be fully vaccinated for Covid-19 at least two weeks prior to the trip. We will be traveling in two 15-passenger vans and will be together in a group for most of the trip.
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Footsteps of Paul Trip
A trip to Turkey and Greece has been planned for October 16-31, 2022 by Dr. Ron Shive. The trip is limited to 20 people. Please contact the church office at 336-228-1703 for more information.
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Update from the FPC COVID-19 Re-Entry Task Force
The Delta variant of COVID-19 is on the rise in North Carolina and to help mitigate its spread we ask that everyone please read and follow the worship service protocol noted below.
- Please enter the sanctuary through the center aisle only.
- Please select a seat in the pews marked by the green crosses; please sit in family groups toward the ends of the pews. Seating is also available in the balcony.
- Please do not sit in a pew that does not have a green cross on the end.
- Please sign in using the pew register and pass it down so that everyone seated on the pew signs in. Please tear the completed sheet off and leave it on top of the register for easy collection after the service.
- Please exit from the side aisles after the service has ended. Please do not exit through the center aisle.
- Please do not congregate inside the sanctuary or narthex. Please go all the way outside to Lemonade on the Lawn to spend time visiting with others.
The Delta variant is highly transmissible and those who are not vaccinated are at greatest risk for significant health outcomes from infection. So, we strongly encourage anyone who is not yet fully vaccinated or who feels more comfortable wearing a mask, to continue to do so.
In addition to reminding you of these public health measures, we urge you to get vaccinated if you have not done so and encourage you to talk with your family physician if you have concerns.
Thank you.
Reminder For All Church Members Entering the
Church Building During the Week
Even though the rest of the church and most businesses in the community are relaxing their Covid related protocols, the FPC Child Development Center is still under strict guidelines from the NC Dept of Health and Human Services and the Center for Disease Control to require masks for all people ages five and over that are inside the Child Development Center portions of the church building. Our student population is not eligible for vaccines at this time and we need to do everything we can do to keep them safe and healthy. Only a fraction of our student population is under a mask requirement because the rest are too young to be able to manage a mask. Our teaching staff has been very diligent with all Covid protocols including the mask mandate. To summarize, the mask mandate is still in effect for all parents, church staff, church members and church visitors when they are in or around the Child Development Center. This includes the church kitchen and the lower level of the new building during the weekdays.
Thank you for your support,
The FPC Child Development Center Board
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Adult Studies Classes
Adult Summer Studies — Sunday, August 22 at 9:00 a.m. in Calvin Hall for a time of faith formation, education, and fellowship. Don Grady will be teaching.
Middle School & High School
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Dough Devotions — Wednesdays at 10:30 a.m. we will be gathering at Skid’s (S. Church Street) to partake in food and fellowship! Dough devotions are typically only for our high school students, but over the summer we would love to invite our middle schoolers to join us as well!
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Contemplative Ministry "Monday Morning Quiet Moments"
Look for "Quiet Moments" each Monday in August in your in-box or on the church website or Facebook page. These short, guided meditations will lead you into a few moments of quietness, putting you in touch with the Divine, grounding you in the presence of God and bringing God's love into the center of your being. As you prepare for the week that unfolds, take a moment to be still and know....
Soul Collage ® Workshop – Sunday, September 19, 2021, 2:00–4:00 p.m.
Soul Collage ®, developed by Seena B. Frost, MA, M.Div., is a method of self-discovery through the creation and intuitive analysis of a deck of card-sized collages created by each participant. Involving art, creativity, self-awareness, journaling, meditation and personal growth, it is a process that facilitates a dialogue with the soul. Terri Burleson notes that “it is a wonderful technique with contemplative groups and is helpful in learning ways to incorporate the mind, heart and body to listen to the Spirit.” Terri, a member of the Contemplative Ministry team at Westover Presbyterian Church in Greensboro and a certified Soul Collage facilitator, will lead the workshop at our church. Look for additional information on registration as we get closer to the workshop date.
Click here to read about Summer/Early Fall Contemplative Ministry opportunities in Contemplative Ministry's quarterly newsletter.
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Missions News
Andrews Elementary is Our Local Mission for August
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Andrews Elementary School Supply Drive
Shh! School is just around the corner, but don’t remind the students and teachers! It is time for our annual collection of school supplies for Andrews Elementary. Our gifts of requested supplies free up money so the school can buy more educational supplies. Requested items: black dry erase markers, gallon size Ziplock bags, standard size bandaids, Kleenex. Thank you FPC for all you do for Andrews Elementary. They feel so blessed to have our support. The collection bin is outside of the CDC entrance.
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Andrews Reading Buddy Signup for October 2021 – May 2022
Donate an hour a week to a kindergartener, 1st grader or 2nd grader at R. Homer Andrews Elementary School, 2630 Buckingham Rd, Burlington, NC 27217. Sign up for a time between 8:15 a.m. – Noon. The sign-up sheet is on the Missions bulletin board at the church or you can email Jin-Jin Blackburn at jblackb@hotmail.com or call her at 336-260-0689. Teachers prepare a folder with instructions and you may click here for additional details. Check in at front desk. Park in parking lot to left when facing school. Use second entrance off Buckingham Rd.
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Alamance County Meals on Wheels Annual Duck Dash Fundraiser, Sunday, September 19
Alamance County Meals on Wheels will be hosting their Annual Rubber Duck Dash for the Cash on Sunday, September 19. Please be sure to buy your ducks soon! You do not need to be present to win. You can mail a check to our office (411 W. 5th St, Suite A, Burlington, NC 27215), give us a call 336-228-8815, or drop by our office to adopt your ducks. Our office hours are 8:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m. Monday–Friday.
Meals on Wheels provides home delivered meals to the elderly in our county. Over the last year, we have added over 175 new clients for a total of 525 clients each week. Our community support enables us to be able to continue providing meals to the seniors each day.
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FPC Furniture Ministry
The Furniture Ministry of our church continues to bless the neediest in our community. Since the beginning of 2020, we have served 192 families with 358 children despite having to close for at least two months due to the pandemic. Thanks to Elon University’s Don’t Trash It! Campaign, we have 200 “beds in bags” assembled and stored in the warehouse ready to go to clients. All of this is made possible by your support. Office hours are Mondays, 1:00–4:00 p.m. For more information on how you can help, visit our website here.
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Benevolence Farm — Opportunities to Volunteer or Purchase Body Care Products
Benevolence Farm is one of FPC's new local missions. The residential program helps incarcerated women reenter society and address their many needs. Almost half the women do not have a stable place to live, few have job skills, and many are dealing with addiction or mental health issues. One-third of women return to prison within three years of their release. Benevolence Farm grows and sells fresh produce, flowers and herbs and manufactures body care products. Residents make, package, and sell the body care products with all the proceeds going back into the program and paying residents’ wages.
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Trusting Life's Roller Coaster — A Letter from Chenoa Stock Serving in Peru
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Feed the Hungry
Please bring non-perishable foods for the Food Pantry. Drop them off in the collection bins outside the CDC entry anytime during the week or when you come to worship on Sunday morning. Thank you!
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Bristol McHugh, with parents Will and Sarah, celebrated the Sacrament of Baptism on Sunday, August 1, 2021.
Mary Lou Massie - Surgery - 8/5
Mary Erwin - Surgery - 8/6
Diane Barnwell
Ellen Gensinger
Dean Vaughn
Jean Parsons
Jo Watts Williams
Don Bullis
Morgan Baker
Jean Frissell - Hospice Care
Herb Carmen - Hospice Care
Barbara Higgs
Mabel Trollinger
Bill Rogers
Mary Leighton Sellers - ARMC - Mother of David Sellers and Elizabeth Stanfill
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Church Business
Click here to view the minutes from the May 16 Session Meeting.
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You may give through our online platform Tithely here or mail your contribution to the church office: 508 West Davis Street, Burlington, NC 27215. Thank you for your support!
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