Fast Facts

an e-update on life at

First Presbyterian Church

November 4, 2021

The Session has called a congregational meeting at the close of 11:00 am worship this Sunday, November 7, for the purpose of electing a slate of nominees for the 2022 Officer Nominating Committee. If you are joining us remotely, please use the Zoom link below.

Worship - Sunday, November 7, 2021

Seasonal greenery and berries dates are available December 5, 12, 19, and 26 and January 2. To provide seasonal greenery and berries in honor or in memory of a loved one, contact Margaret Fancher at fancherm@bellsouth.net or call 234-1359. Contributions to the Flower Fund are greatly appreciated.

The Stewardship Campaign for 2022 is currently underway! As this year's campaign theme declares, we are "Rooted in Faith. Flourishing in Gratitude. Poised for Rebirth." By now, we certainly hope that you have all received your stewardship materials and that you have joyfully embraced God's call to prayerfully discern how you will participate in this year's campaign. 

To those who've already returned pledges and your "Time and Talent" surveys, we offer our heartfelt thanks! Indeed, it is your generous giving that ensures our church family may continue to celebrate the abundant blessings of our past, to answer God's call in the here-and-now, and to look to our future with hopeful anticipation, shared vision, and renewed excitement.  

In this season, may we continue to reflect upon and give thanks to God for the many blessings we enjoy. May we also give thanks for the promise of God's ever-present Spirit—forever loving, nurturing, inspiring, and calling our church family forward. And may we all embrace God's invitation to be good stewards of the many blessings we have received by God's grace and to recommit ourselves to sharing those gifts with God's world with glad and joyful hearts!   

All are invited to pledge your commitment to by

• returning the pledge card and Time and Talent survey that you received in the mail
• going to FPC, Oxford's website HERE and confidentially and securely submitting your commitment there, or
• contacting Frances Saralvarez, Financial Secretary, at the church office with your pledge information.  

We thank you for your abundant generosity!

Anyone interested in an FPC member directory can call the church office at 234-1757. One will be printed for you.

Attention VIP's! Our November outing will be attendance at "The Light in the Piazza" starring Mary Haskell. We will go to the matinee on Sunday, November 21. Mary will get the tickets for us but she needs a count ASAP. The tickets are $20 each. You may pay the church office for your tickets and can pick them up there starting Wednesday, November 10. Call the church no later than Sunday, November 7 to put your name on the list. Thanks!

Sally Hines

UKirk Ole Miss is grateful to those of you who have served as Tuesday night meal providers! And they still need a few more to round out their Fall schedule. For more information and to see a list of available dates, visit ukirkolemiss.org/tuesday-meals or email Allison at ukirk.olemiss@gmail.com. 

Mission Opportunities!

Oxford First United Methodist Church holds its next food distribution Friday, November 19 from 9:00 am-1:00 pm at their church, 102 Dylan Avenue next to the Mary Cathey Head Start off Old Sardis Road. 250-300 needy Lafayette County families are served through this monthly outreach program. FPC volunteers are needed to assist in unloading the supply truck from the Memphis Food Bank and distributing it to clients in the drive through at OFUMC. Even an hour of your time would be greatly appreciated. This could be your mission!

In the mood to swing a hammer? If so, Habitat For Humanity needs 6 volunteers to assist constructing a new ramp for a family's home in Oxford. The construction project will last 4-5 hours and will take place on Saturday morning, November 20th. No construction experience required. Tools are provided. To volunteer contact Adam Quick, 662-832-5051. This could be your mission as we seek to serve the least of these.

One goal of the FPC Mission Ministry is to identify opportunities that would allow members of our church family to engage in local missions within the Oxford community. Supporting the Leap Frog Program, a non-profit after-school literacy and tutoring program for at-risk students in Oxford and Lafayette County, is one such opportunity. In service to our community, the FPC Mission Team is committed to providing snacks each Tuesday for the sixty students enrolled in the program. The 'healthy' snack will consist of juice and a finger food such as fruit, peanut butter crackers, etc. The time commitment is limited to the provision, preparation, and serving of the snacks from 2:50-3:20 pm at the former Oxford Elementary School located at 1637 Hwy 30 East. The mission team is seeking two volunteers to provide snacks each Tuesday from September 14 through November 30. For more information or to sign up for a Tuesday of your choice please email Patty Abbott, peaccc-slp@sbcglobal.net. This could be your mission!

The Doors of Hope Transition Ministry, based in the education building here at FPC, is an outreach agency that assists single parents in their efforts to become self-sufficient. Through finance and budget counseling, a limited period of housing assistance, educational opportunities, and employment searches, clients learn to break crippling patterns of dependence and start new lives. Each month graduates of the program meet with current clients during the Step 2 Dinner. While sharing a meal together, clients are encouraged by the success stories of their predecessors. The Step 2 Dinner is held the second Tuesday of the month in our fellowship hall. Two FPC volunteers are needed to order prepared meals from Larson's Cash Savers and deliver them to the church. The FPC volunteers then sit at table with the clients to become better acquainted with their stories. The next dinner is Tuesday, November 9 at 5:30 pm. If you would like to volunteer, please call the church office, 234-1757. This could be your mission.

The Family Crisis Services of Northwest Mississippi is a comprehensive victim services organization. It is the only nonprofit in Oxford that specifically addresses and provides services to victims of interpersonal violence--sexual assault, domestic violence, homicide, etc. Staff and volunteers are available 24/7 to provide crisis intervention services. Recently, Family Crisis Services experienced a $200,000 cut in federal funding. Six staff members, including their intervention child psychologist, were laid off. Interested in helping? Current needs include monetary donations, cleaning supplies, basic office supplies, paper toiletries, and new stuffed animals for each child that the facility receives. If you would like to donate any of these supplies, please drop them by the church office. More information is available at oxfordadvocacy.org or call 234-9929. 

Curious about the various FPC mission activities? A new email account has been created specifically for keeping FPC members abreast of mission plans, outreach programs, committee minutes, etc. If you would like to be kept in the mission loop, contact the Mission Team at missionteam@fpcoxford.net. Your name will be placed on Mission Ministry's contact list. We look forward to keeping everyone informed of FPC's outreach opportunities.

Haven House, our resident recovery facility for people with substance abuse, appreciates the donations of Bibles, study materials, and daily devotional booklets. If you have some religious books to share, please bring them to the church office.

Remember in Prayer

FPC Members: Lydia Moak; Susan & Tom Meredith; Michele Howie; Margaret Fancher; Family of Betty Mullen White; Family of Mary Helen "Babe" Field Carr; Joe Murphey

Family and Friends: Family of Elise & William Winter; Parchman Prison inmates; Haven House residents; Our Haiti partners; Oxford & Lafayette County First Responders; Community leaders

U. S. Military: SSgt Jason Freeland, USAF 4th Air Support Operation

Please pray, too, for those with unspecified needs.

If you wish to have a name removed or added to this list, please contact the church office.

The FPC prayer chain is ready if you or someone you know is in need. This is a confidential list that is independent from the names listed above. Please contact Carlisle Wood at carlislewood@gmail.com or 662-832-8606. All requests are held in strict confidence.  

Upcoming Birthdays and Anniversaries

November Birthdays

4 James Day, Sally Featherstone, Ingrid Kondos

5 Stephanie Leonard

7 Cindy Grant, Eloise Hollis, Peggy Nance, Michael Stevens

8 Bill Dickins

9 Bill Freeman, Lisa Tollison

November Anniversaries

5 Elizabeth Ann & Lee Miers

10 Anne Grace & Justin Kennon

If we've overlooked your birthday or anniversary and you wish to have it included in Fast Facts, please contact Jessica McPhail in the church office.



These announcements are sent weekly from the church. If you don't want to receive them, or if your email address has changed, please send a message to Jessica McPhail in the church office at jmcgeefpc@gmail.com.