Dear friends,

During Lent this year, your staff are reading together the book Lent of Liberation: Confronting the Legacy of American Slavery, by Cheri L. Mills.

This book is a story book, but not the kind we read as children. It tells the stories of slavery in America and examines the ongoing effects of generations of slavery on Black people today. It reveals the roots of systemic racism and tells of laws enacted by whites in power with the express intent of treating non-white human beings as less than human.

Each daily devotion opens with a quote from the book The Underground Railroad: A Record, by William Sill followed by a quote from scripture. Following Mills’ reflections on these combined quotes, the reader is left with some deep and difficult questions.

Today in our staff meeting, we shared and discussed the devotion for today, which ended with these questions:

1)    In protest movements for racial justice, there is a slogan that says, “White silence = white consent.” Have you been silent in the face of Black suffering, poverty, and despair?

           If you are white and have lived very long and if you are being honest and courageous, I daresay the answer to this question is “yes.” Saying yes to this question will not come without pain and soul-searching. But saying yes to this question is the first step toward healing the deep tear in the fabric of humanity left with us by the sin of slavery and continued by us through the racist systems, assumptions, and mindsets embedded in our culture. The unwritten follow-up question to this one is “How have you been silent?” These are difficult questions, and they are painful to answer, but part of moving forward is facing the answers head-on and actively moving toward solutions that challenge the narrative of white supremacy that has been handed down to us across generations. While her first question invites us to reflection, her second question invites us to action:

2)    What can you do to challenge this narrative, lift others, and bring hope?

As people of God, as followers of Christ, I invite you to join with our staff in asking and seeking answers to these questions in your own life and in our life together as First Presbyterian Church. I pray that such faithful explorations will lead us all to a deep and holy Lent.

May the peace of Christ be with you all, my friends, as you open yourself up to truth and as you seek to be instruments of healing in our broken world.

With love,

Condolences: 

We also mourn the loss of Dr. James Michael “Mickey” Efird. Dr. Efird was Professor Emeritus of Duke Divinity School and an ordained Presbyterian (USA) minister. He presented “Efird Lectures” (free to the community) at FPC during Lent for many years. He died on February 17.

Birth Announcement: 

Congratulations to Emily Durham Diy and Carlo Diy on the birth of their second child. Owen Boyd Durham Diy was born February 22, 2021. He joins big sister Anna Ruth. The family thanks you so much for your prayers, thoughts, and well-wishes during this pandemic pregnancy. They are so grateful and can’t wait to introduce you to Owen!

 Recovering at their homes

Care Communities:

Family and Friends of the Congregation:

CONGRATULATIONS to the following FPC members who were elected Sunday, February 21 to be part of the church's leadership team. We are truly blessed by their willingness to share their talents with our congregation. 

Class of 2022 – Tom Bacon.

Class of 2024 -- Stephen Berry, Tony Chavez, Leah Graves, Fred Moore,

Class of 2023 -- Teddie Brown, Bob Pleasants

Class of 2024 -- Jennie Belle, Jean Cary, George Gentithes,

2021-2022 Nominating Committee -- Walt Barron, Brent Curtis,

Thanks to everyone for your participation in our successful virtual election using Zoom! Here are their profiles once again.

Dawn Carsey Shelton and Mary Ann Compton,

To the FPC Congregation:

On Monday afternoon (February 22), when Johanna Bernhardt arrived at Iglesia Emanuel to unload a van full of cereal for the Food Pantry, our hearts sang! It was such an amazing sight to pull out bag after bag of cereal, a total of 150 boxes, all destined to add a much appreciated food item for the families we serve. It gave us extra joy to place that cereal in the bags we were packing, knowing that they were gifts of love from our FPC congregation. Thank you so much to all who organized, donated, and delivered, making this project such a success. Let's do it again!

Most gratefully,

This Sunday's worship, including the music, will be led by the youth of FPC. Sophie Wilkins and Aiden James will be the speakers. Worship begins at 11:00 a.m. Gathering/music begins at 10:55 a.m. From the church's website home page, click "Worship" to join us.

We have been invited to join the closing worship service of the NEXT Church National Conference on Sunday, March 7 via Zoom. The live-streamed service begins at 11:00 a.m. The Rev. Shavon Starling-Louis will be preaching and the worship leader will be Paul Vasile.

NEXT Church is a network of leaders — church members, ruling elders, youth leaders, educators, pastors, seminarians and professors — across the Presbyterian Church (USA) who believe the church of the future will be more relational, more diverse, more collaborative, more hopeful and more agile. Learn more about NEXT Church here.

You can access the service from the homepage of FPC's website at 11:00 a.m. next Sunday morning. Simply click on the word Worship.

Following worship on Sunday, March 7, there will be congregational gathering via Zoom. More details are forthcoming. Plan to join us !

Note the new time. This study is led by Mindy Douglas.

Click here for ways to access the class.

Steve Rimmer and Cris Rivera are leading two introductory interest meetings for those interested in participating in worship as liturgists. We’d love to see new faces in online worship (and, one day, at the lectern) so newcomers are always welcome! It’s not just about being a good reader. It’s about helping your fellow congregants engage with prayer and lectionary text in a way that is integral to worship. Join us via Zoom on either Tuesday March 2 at 7:00 p.m. or Sunday March 7 at 2:00 p.m. Please RSVP to Cris if you plan to join us. Click Join via Zoom to join either or both meetings.

Join the Creation Care Committee in a discussion of biodiversity: what it is, why it’s important, and what humans have sometimes done in ignorance to disturb the balance of ecosystems and even cause extinction of species. Join us at our monthly Creation Care meeting, Thursday, March 11 at 7:00 p.m. (Zoom). All are welcome. For more information about the Creation Care Committee, check out our page from the church’s website.

Mark your calendars, practice your stick figures and be ready to laugh! Deacons will host some Zoom fun and fellowship on March 19 from 7:00 - 8:00 p.m.

Join us for an online version of Pictionary (no artistic skill needed) and enjoy some fellowship together. Bring your favorite beverage, game night snack, and meet us on Zoom Friday, March 19 from 7:00 - 8:00 p.m.

We will use this Zoom link:

Upcoming we are Events 

"we are," which stands for working to extend anti-racist education, is a non-profit organization that provides anti-racism training for children, families, and educators. We use a three-pronged approach to dismantle systemic racism in education by offering summer camps for children in rising 1st-5th grade, professional development for educators, and workshops for parents & families."

Registration for our annual "Let's Talk Racism" Conference is now live! Be sure to join us March 19-20, 2021 for our first virtual conference! If you registered for the conference last year, we still have your registration and payment on file and you will not need to take any further action. If you are unable to attend this year's conference and you are already registered, click here to transfer your registration to someone of your choosing no later than March 17, 2021. If you have any additional questions or concerns please feel free to email us at admin@weare-nc.org.

This year, we are is sponsoring four, week-long summer camps for kids in rising 1st-2nd grade and rising 3rd-5th grade. We are encouraged by the new administration’s COVID action plan. Accordingly, we aim to hold this year’s camps in person. Registration per camp is $300. Scholarships & transportation are available for families who have a financial need. Because the guidelines for this summer are yet to be determined, we are only seeking a non-refundable $25

Email admin@weare-nc.org if you have questions.