Be sure to check out our Virtual Sunday School Classroom with our new Growing in God's Love curriculum. For Pre-K through 5th grade children, this includes a monthly supply kit to take home and use with the virtual classroom each week.

The first bags are available in the lobby area of the Fellowship House. Be sure to grab your kit to be ready to go for the lesson this Sunday. You can access the virtual classroom by clicking here or by going to the First Presbyterian Church website! This month we are learning about creation. The content will change weekly as we hear a new story each Sunday.

If you are a family that has a Youth in grades 6th through 12th, be sure to sign up to receive the First Youth Fellowship newsletter. That is the best way to see all the ways youth can get connected and deepen their faith through service, community, and fun! Sign-up here to receive the Youth Newsletter for detailed information about all youth happenings. **If you didn't receive the Youth Newsletter last week, please be sure to check your spam or junk folder.

Please join us Wednesday, September 30th, at 6:30 p.m. for our Kick-off event via Zoom.

Members should have received an e-mail invitation on Thursday, September 17th and/or a paper copy in the mail. The Zoom meeting information and password is listed in the e-mail.

The event is FREE, but registration is required. RSVP options:

- Sign-up genius: click here

- Church website: click here

- Contact the church office, 704-788-2100

Please RSVP by Monday, September 28th.

We look forward to our time together. Rev. Lynne Keel will open our evening, and we will celebrate our Honorary Life Membership recipient, enjoy a preview of our study for this year, as well as our upcoming Spiced Sunday event. Save that date, Sunday, October 18 at 2:00 p.m. There are opportunities for everyone, from circles to service, so please join us to learn more!

St James Lutheran Church (104 Union Street, South) has invited First Presbyterian Church to join them in a food drive for CCM on Wednesday, October 7 from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. On that Wednesday, simply enter the church back parking lot and stop near the portico at the back entrance of the church. A volunteer will remove your donations from your car and take them to the truck provided by CCM. During the drop off, social distancing protocols will be followed (masks, maintaining 6 feet of distance from others).

Items needed include canned vegetables, canned meats, beans, peanut butter, jelly, pasta sauce, toilet paper, paper towels, hand soap, dish soap, hand sanitizer, cough drops, coffee and filters, laundry detergent, and garbage bags.

For more information, click here. .

Join us for a three series time of learning with Rev. Carol Hassell. We will discover the fullness of who God created you to be as we explore the 9 enneagram types, learn about the 3 Centers of Intelligence (head/heart/body), and use the Harmony Triads for a whole person response to God and life!

This class will meet virtually on Thursdays at noon on October 15, 22, and 29.

You will receive a code to the Wagner Enneagram Personality Styles Scale to begin your type exploration with an option for a one on one consultation with Carol before the classes begin. You will also receive a customized enneagram profile packet.

Cost for Class: $10

Cost for optional Consultation: $40

The customized enneagram profile packet is included in the registration fee.

Registration deadline is October 8. You can sign up here!

Please take the WEPSS no later than October 12.

Rev. Carol Hassell is a retired Presbyterian pastor and is currently serving as a spiritual director, enneagram teacher and workshop facilitator. She is certified for Enneagram work and has done training through The Enneagram Spectrum of Styles, The Changeworks, REALIFE Enneagram Circles, and The Enneagram Institute. You can find more information here: www.beenneaware.com

If you have questions, please contact Lynne at lynne.keel@firstpresconcord.org.

Any girls, 2nd to 12th grade, interested in Girl Scouts, may contact Rene Prager: thepragers@yahoo.com for more information. Next meeting - Thursday, September 24, 6:30 p.m. at McGee Park.

Belle is in her early 50’s and is very fit (running and biking). She was asked to babysit for family friends who had to go out of town on short notice. Unbeknownst to them, they were exposed to the Covid-19 virus while travelling and passed it to Belle on their return. Belle was ill for a week or so but recovered. However, several months later her senses of taste and smell have not fully recovered.

Amanda is in her late 30’s and owns a cleaning company that serves both commercial and residential clients. Her employees have been following strict safety measures (masking, frequent hand washing, and social distancing) as they have gone about their work. Amanda was infected with Covid-19 by a co-worker who was asymptomatic. In turn, Amanda’s teenage daughter was also infected. Her daughter had only mild symptoms, but Amanda was sick for 12 days with severe symptoms although she was not hospitalized.

Jerry is a small business owner who is married and the father of three children (15, 12, and 7).  He and his wife have been working from home during the pandemic and helping their children with online learning. He and his wife have been fastidious with safety and prevention measures. Their children, however, have recently returned to their private schools for in-person learning. A week or so ago Jerry started to exhibit classic Covid-19 symptoms: coughing, shortness of breath, fever. Although his symptoms have been mild, his wife and 7-year-old daughter have also tested positive for Covid-19. His two boys so far are negative. He has no idea how or where he was exposed to the virus.

Lori is a business consultant who before the pandemic was travelling frequently overseas but has since been working from home via Zoom. Her husband is a chef in a high-end restaurant which has been closed during the pandemic. They spend most of their time at home, only venturing outside to go to the grocery store or to exercise. Lori, too, was recently diagnosed with Covid-19 and has relatively mild symptoms but has been sick for several weeks. She also has no idea where or how she was exposed to the virus.

I share these stories with you because all of these people are either members of my family or family friends: Belle is my sister-in-law, Amanda is my niece, Jerry is my brother, and Lori is a childhood friend. All of them have been following the suggested safety protocols, but they still contracted the virus despite their best efforts.

The important lesson in this for me is that the seriousness of the pandemic becomes very real (and far less abstract) when loved ones become infected. It also highlights how incredibly contagious this disease is and how easily transmissible it is.

What are the lessons for the church? We need to resist the temptation to become complacent and to delude ourselves into thinking that the pandemic is only affecting “other” people. Anyone can get it at any time, anywhere. The virus is now everywhere in the United States and churches and Christian people have a particular responsibility to “love our neighbors” by following safety protocols to the best of our ability. The pandemic is a marathon, not a sprint, and we will be wearing masks (according to epidemiologists) well into 2021.

So, friends, take heart, but do not let your guard down. As temperatures drop infection rates are climbing again throughout the country. We will get through this—but only if we do our part and work together.

Peace,

Scott Kenefake,

Interim Pastor

Our pastoral staff continues to preach and teach through various means of technology. Please join us for all of our worship opportunities on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/firstpresconcordnc/),

YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfpzVUz-ZgaCJuogIMor8Iw) or our Sermon Archives (https://firstpresconcord.org/worship/sermon-archives/).