FPC Family and Friends,

Years ago I was getting ready to leave for a weekend trip with my college friends. When Charlie (three or four at the time) asked why I was leaving, Nick chimed in with "Sometimes Mommy has to go away so she can remember why she loves us so much." Like all good jokes, it was funny because it was true.

Just as I have never questioned my love for my family, I have never questioned my love for this congregation. And yet, time away is good because it helps us identify things we might take for granted in the daily routines of life.

As I return to the office this week I am most excited to return to what my sabbatical time away has helped me remember about my love for FPC Auburn: simple daily encounters with each of you. Time away is lovely, but the day to day of doing life together is even better. I can't wait to hear about what's been going on in your lives, how your families are faring, what you've been reading, all your perspectives on what God has been doing in your life and the greater world as we move forward into another academic year.

I hope you'll bear with me this first week while Nick is still enjoying his last sabbatical adventure in Montana - as the kids and I head back to work and school I look forward to tackling a very full inbox, getting caught up on the fantastic work our incredible staff, session, and volunteers have been doing this summer, and, as soon as I can, reconnecting with all of you who have offered such a spirit of love and support not just this summer but these last (almost) seven years.

Once Nick returns on August 15th we look forward to finding some formal ways to share about our sabbatical. Given that flexibility remains the name of the game as we head into the fall, if your Sunday School class, circle, or small group would like for us to join you at any point to share some of our experiences, we would absolutely love to get on your calendars.

With deepest gratitude,

Kathy Reed

Dear FPC,

This week, Damion Womack shared that he has accepted a new teaching position at Mississippi College in Starkville, Mississippi. This sadly means his time with FPC will come to an end; Damion’s last Sunday with us will be August 29. Nick and Kathy Reed are also aware of this news and are ready to oversee the transition when they return.

I am so grateful for Damion and for all the ways he has shared his gifts and leadership with us. Over his tenure here, Damion has brought outstanding music to our congregation, a source of joy and comfort for all of us during a difficult season. I hope you will join me in thanking Damion for his service and offering your prayers to him and his family during this transition.

Blessings,

Caroline

At a called session meeting on Monday, July 26, the session voted to require masks for all participants for worship and indoor gatherings. They also voted to reinstate six feet of social distancing between family units in the sanctuary. These changes came as a recommendation from the COVID Taskforce in light of the high positive infection rate for Lee County, advice from EAMC health officials, and a growing concern over the Delta variant.

These changes were not made lightly but are being put into effect based upon the high infection rate for our county, advice from EAMC health officials, and a growing concern over the spread of the Delta variant. With these practices in place, we hope the church campus can continue to serve our congregation safely.

After a year of social distancing, many of our routines and habits have changed. And now, with the hope of reconnecting in the fall, we have the opportunity to change them again.

In order to provide opportunities for connection— especially through intergenerational fellowship— the Congregational Care and Children and Youth committees invite you to take this short survey about how you would like to reconnect with others in the church.

Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts with us; your response will help guide us as we plan new opportunities for congregational connection.

We are excited to once again be able to enjoy a time of refreshment and fellowship following worship! If you would like to volunteer to host a Sunday Punch-on-the-Lawn, you may sign up here. For more information about volunteering, please contact Kirstin Yost at at kmyost97@gmail.com or 910-309-1625.

✵ 11:00am: In-Person, Indoor Worship -  If you attend one of the indoor services in coming weeks you will notice many differences from our "normal" sanctuary worship. At this time, based on recommendations from our COVID Task Force and Session, we will have a very simple service without congregational singing, passing of the peace, and several other elements you might be looking forward to sharing with your church family. However, as local conditions and guidelines continue to improve it is our greatest hope that we will begin adding back in all these elements of worship we know and love. Thank you so much for your patience and grace as we try to maintain the greatest level of safety for our congregation, musicians, worship leaders, and our greater community.

At the sign-up link below (and the email containing the sign-up sent on Thursday), you will find detailed information on our current protocols for worship attendance.

✵ 11:00am: Virtual Worship - We are pleased to announce that we are live-streaming our worship service at 11am. What this means is that those worshiping from home will be able to watch the service live as it is happening in the sanctuary. To view the service you can go directly to our church’s YouTube Channel via your computer, smartphone, or Smart TV app (https://tinyurl.com/t7dl8vh) or you can access the worship service through our website or Facebook page.

If you are unable to watch live at 11am, a recorded version of the service will be available at these same links later in the day.

As the fall semester approaches, UKirk Auburn is excited to welcome returning and new students to our ministry! The best way to reach new students is through word-of-mouth and a recommendation from someone they trust.

The UKirk Campus Ministries of our presbytery (Auburn, University of Alabama, Birmingham, and Jacksonville State) would love to be introduced to any and all college students who may be interested in a Presbyterian campus ministry. You can refer students through this form, and don’t forget to tell your college students to look for “UKirk” when they arrive on campus.

For more info, contact Caroline Barnett at cbarnett@fpcauburn.org.

9:30am, Baird Hall OR Zoom

The Old Testament Sunday school class has resumed meeting in person in Baird Hall. We also offer a live Zoom option. Our current study is what many refer to as Second Isaiah (Isaiah, chapters 40 thru 55). Class begins at 9:45. Please join us either in person in Baird Hall or contact Gayle Andress, if you wish to receive a Zoom invitation.

Mondays, 12pm, Baird Hall OR Zoom

You do not have to be an artist to find a great deal of meaning in the practice of Bible journaling. Join us in Baird Hall (or, if you are more comfortable, via Zoom) every Monday as we reflect upon the previous Sunday's sermon and Scripture text and explore various kinds of drawing, painting, and journaling techniques. For more information, please contact Susan Fillippeli.

As our children and youth resume in person Sunday School gatherings, those in the pre-retirement phase of life are invited to bring your own chair and coffee for a visit in the courtyard while the children are having their lesson. For the time being the goal is catching up and enjoying fellowship, though we will be crowd sourcing for ideas on Adult Education offerings for this age/stage of life for the fall.

Mark Your Calendars!!!

The Blessing of the Backpacks will be Sunday, August 8 during the Word to Grow By. Students of all ages as well as teachers and professors are encouraged to bring their backpacks to worship for this blessing. The children will be called forward and older students, teachers, and professors will be asked to stand to receive the blessing. Hope to see you there!

Children Pre-K through 5^th grade

• Worship Readiness will begin September 12. This year, Worship Readiness will be offered for 2nd and 3rd graders. Each Sunday for six weeks children will learn about all of the different pieces of worship and why we worship the way we do. At the conclusion of Worship Readiness, our 2nd and 3rd graders will be prepared to stay in worship for the entire service.

• The nursery is now available from 10 until noon on Sunday mornings for children birth to age 3.

• Children’s church is back! After the Word to Grow By, children ages 4 to rising 3rd grade will go together to the preschool room for the remainder of the worship service.

• Worship bags are also available for all children during worship.

• Children’s Sunday school will meet this Sunday from 10:15 – 10:45 in Conway Hall.

• Masks are required indoors for children 3 & over and youth, as well as all adults working with them.

Jr. and Sr. High Youth

• Sunday, August 15, will be Sundaes on Sunday. To celebrate the first week of school, youth will gather for a time of fellowship. Stay tuned for more details.

• Saturday, August 21, our youth and their families are invited to participate in the Alabama Rural Ministry Day of Service, from 8 am to 4pm. This is an awesome mission opportunity to serve folks in Lee and Macon Counties working on and fixing up their homes! If you would like to participate, please let Chris know and he will get you on the list. The deadline to sign up is August 17. Youth must be 12yrs old to serve. No particular skills are needed.

• Youth Sunday school will meet this Sunday from 10:15 – 10:45 in the Senior High room.

The Presbyterian Community Ministry (PCM) provided financial and home repair assistance to 29 Lee County families during the second quarter. Assistance included loans and grants for utility bills, renovations, and rent.

• Elsa could not pay a large power bill after she had to quit her job to care for her husband, who developed serious heart problems. PCM loaned them enough to pay their bill and referred them to other agencies that might provide additional help.

• Both Diana and her 35-year-old son receive disability assistance, but after paying about $500 each month for medications, they often find it difficult to pay other bills. Recently, when they were unable to pay their power bill, their electricity was disconnected. PCM helped them pay their bill quickly so that their power was restored before they lost their refrigerated food.

• Recently, what remained of Henry’s Social Security monthly income of $845 after he paid other bills was not enough to fill his propane tank. PCM helped with the balance that Henry could not pay, and the tank was filled.

Fortunately, fewer families required PCM’s assistance during the last quarter because some of the agencies that provided financial assistance before the pandemic have reopened and are accepting applications again. PCM can now refer many potential applicants to agencies receiving federal and state funds that can help them, making it possible for PCM to help clients who do not qualify for assistance from those agencies.

Total income for the quarter was $27,910; expenses were $19,348. Income included $9,323 from membership dues, $6,517 from memorials, $686 from loan paybacks, and $6,500 from our church’s Outreach Committee. Expenses included about $5,500 for utilities and about $1,000 for rent.

Donations of any amount from our church members are always welcome. Those who wish to make a gift to PCM should send checks to PCM, 143 East Thach Avenue, Auburn, AL 36830. Those wishing to become individual annual members ($250) or family members ($300) should send their checks to the same address.

As you read the information below, please note that the church building is NOT yet open for general use. PLEASE do not enter the building without first contacting a staff member (preferably as outlined below, via email at least 48 hours in advance) so that we can continue to provide the greatest level of safety and sanitation.

Please send an email at least 48 hours before your group would like to gather so staff members have plenty of time to communicate and avoid overlapping groups.

from May 23 until August 8,

Please contact the following staff members with any questions or concerns in the

following areas:

Children and Youth | Chris Sarkowski

Music | Damion Womack

UKirk/University Ministry | Caroline Barnett

Worship | Damion Womack

Mission | Caroline Barnett

Adult Education and Presbyterian Women | Chris Sarkowski

Congregational Life | Caroline Barnett

Property | Chris Sarkowski

General Office | Kathy Rushing

Generosity | Caroline Barnett

Finance | Kathy Rushing

Personnel | Caroline Barnett

Pastoral Care/Blessings Bunch | Caroline Barnett

We thank you in advance for your patience and grace as we do our best to transition into this next (exciting!) phase of our reopening. Please know that in the weeks ahead we may find need to institute a more formal scheduling system in order to facilitate groups that desire to meet in the building. We will use the weekly email newsletter as a place to share these updates.

With much gratitude, The FPC Staff

Birthdays

Aug. 8 - Henry Helmke, Kathleen Kishkorn

Aug. 9 - Nathan Wohleb, Emil Wright

Aug. 10 - Bob Cochran, Tom White

Aug. 11 - Elisabeth Irwin, Susanna Jolly

Aug. 12 - Mari Ley

Aug. 14 - Anna Brock

Anniversaries

Aug. 11 - Paul and Gerri Talley

• The Reed Family as they return from their sabbatical. Kathy returns August 8 and Nick returns August 15.

• Prayers for the Spencer family for healing and strength.

• Prayers for Gwen Reid as she recovers from knee replacement surgery.

• Prayers for Gerri Talley who is recovering from back surgery. Also prayers for her son-in-law, Gary Sagunsky, and his family as he begins chemotherapy as well as dialysis for multiple myeloma.

• Prayers for Katie Lee as she undergoes physical therapy after knee replacement.

• Prayers of healing and rest for Kevin Wells as he recovers at home from successful cardiac surgery.

• Prayers for members of the congregation who are waiting for results from medical tests.

• Prayers of healing and recovery for church members who had successful surgery and are now beginning the rehab process of their recovery.

• Continued prayers of healing and wholeness for many in our church family and their loved ones who are dealing with significant health and wellness issues but do not wish to be mentioned by name at the moment.

• Prayers for Belinda Wright, friend of Karen Herring & Leslie Carter, who is undergoing cancer treatment.

• Prayers for Harriette Huggin's son, Piet, who will undergo foot surgery.

• Prayers for Rodney Greer’s mother, Dixie, as she recovers from surgery.

• Prayers for Bob Webeler's sister, Sue, who is receiving care at a facility in Phenix City after suffering a stroke.

• Prayers of healing for Tom Webb’s sister as she recovers from successful surgery. Prayers for Tom as he cares for his sister in Oregon.

• Prayers for Melanie Jackson, Jessica Barnes’ childhood friend, who was recently diagnosed with cancer.

• Prayers of healing for Amy Well’s friend Suzi Bonifay undergoing treatment for breast cancer.

• Prayers of healing for Amanda Smith’s co-worker and friend, Susan Scales, as she undergoes cancer treatment.