The season of Lent is upon us. This year's theme, "Grounded," offers us opportunities to nourish our faith lives using our hands, hearts, and minds in service to Jesus Christ.

Community Market Volunteering

Join us the second Saturday of each month (3/12 and 4/9 during Lent) to serve at the Community Market. Shifts are from 9am-12pm but even if you can only come for part of the time, you are welcome and encouraged to join us!

Here you will find a daily devotional calendar to ground your days in God's Word through scripture and prayer. Printed copies of this calendar are available at each entrance to the sanctuary.

Beginning Sunday, March 20 in Baird Hall at 9:45am we will offer a four week Sunday School series: Grounded in God's Creation. In this time we will explore creation in Psalms and Genesis, reflect on the "wilds" of the Lenten season in Proverbs, and anticipate the hope of Easter’s new creation in Romans and Revelation.

Details on each of these opportunities can be found at www.fpcauburn.org/lent

The FPC Session has called a congregational meeting for Sunday, March 13, following the 11 a.m. worship service for the purpose of approving the pastors' terms of call for 2022.

On Wednesday, March 2, at a called meeting of the Session, the elders present unanimously approved the following recommendation from the COVID Task Force:

That there no longer be any Covid-related restrictions to church activities at FPC Auburn with the following two exceptions:

Masks shall be required

1. For the 9 am worship service.

2. For any person working with children under the age of 5.

Additional notes:

• Small groups within the church (e.g. Sunday School classes, PW circles, the choir) may decide among themselves whether or not to mask as they gather.

• The Covid Task Force will not meet again until convened by a pastor.

• We will continue to provide a virtual option for the 11 am worship service.

• We will keep the mask requirement at the 9 am worship service through Easter and will then reevaluate.

The task force also found this article helpful and suggests this information be shared both with the session and congregation:

"If you are vaccinated, boosted, and wearing a well-fitted N95 or similar indoors, 'your risk is extremely low,' says Joseph Allen, a COVID and ventilation expert at Harvard.”

We continue to be grateful for the wisdom of our task force members and the faithful discernment of our session elders. It is with faith and hope that we move into the Lenten season and this next phase of our communal life together.

Many thanks to all who ventured out for our Garden Dedication last Sunday, and for all those who have already signed up to water, weed, or harvest and deliver produce to the Community Market! If you didn't get a chance to attend but would like to know more about volunteer opportunities in the garden, please contact Rev. Kathy Reed.

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.

Presbyterian Women Circles will meet on Tuesday, March 8.

Circle leaders are Barbara Dunham #1 (229.881.2957), Susan Stanley #2 (334.203.1951), and Barbara Fletcher #3 (334.203.1484).

Earlier this month, per the recommendation of the COVID Task Force, the session approved a motion to begin resuming some of the worship practices that had been suspended throughout the course of the pandemic. One such practice is the regular rotation of volunteer ushers. Below we have provided sign up genius links for both head ushers and ushering teams. If you have never served as head usher before, there is a newly edited guide and plenty of volunteers and staff that will be happy to walk you through the process. This commitment is for the 11am service only.

HEAD USHER SIGN UP:

(This person coordinates the ushering team, manages the offering, and closes up the sanctuary at the end of the service. These volunteers typically sign up for a month at a time, but you can split your month with another individual if that works better for your schedule.)

USHERING TEAM SIGN UP:

(Beginning in March we will resume the passing of the offering plate. In addition to other duties, these are the ushers who pass the plate during the service. These volunteers typically sign up for a week at a time. This is a great opportunity for youth to be involved in worship!)

If you have any questions you'd like to ask before signing up, please do not hesitate to contact our current Head Usher Coordinator, Tripp Hinkle at jah0095@auburn.edu

Alabama Arise will have a rally to support untaxing groceries Tuesday, March 15, at noon, in front of the Statehouse, 11 S Union St., Montgomery. Harriette Huggins is planning to attend and can take up to three comfortably in her car. Contact her if you are interested in attending. 334-332-0427.

9 a.m. - Worship with communion in the sanctuary

9:45 a.m. - Sunday School

11 a.m. - Worship with communion in the sanctuary

Even if you don't sew or knit, we would love for you to join us for the long-overdue fellowship. The church office will be closed so everyone should meet at the Baird Hall entrance and enter the church together. We are no longer required to wear masks. Hope to see YOU!

We are returning to a physical, in-person sign-up sheet for Sanctuary flowers! The sign-up sheet is located outside of the receptionist’s office in the main church office building. If you had previously signed up for a date using the SignUp Genius webpage, your name has already been transferred to the new paper sign-up sheet on the appropriate date.

If you are unable to sign up in person, you may also contact Sarah Wolak at 334-728-7853 to sign up for a date. You are welcome to split the cost with another family-- just be sure to write both names on the line. The cost of the flowers has been increased to $50 per arrangement, not including tax and delivery fee. As before, you are welcome to bring the arrangements home after the service, or to leave them to be delivered to other members of the congregation.

Children Pre-K through 5th grade

•   Parents of 2nd through 5th graders: Don’t forget to click the link below and sign your child up to be an acolyte!

•   VBS will be June 20-23. More details to come!!!

•   The nursery is available from 9 a.m. until noon on Sunday mornings for children birth to age 3.

•   Godly Play: After the Word to Grow By (at 11 a.m. worship), children ages 4 to 1st Grade will go to the Godly Play room to worship together for the remainder of the worship service.

•   Children’s Sunday school meets Sunday from 9:45 – 10:45 upstairs in the children’s classrooms.

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

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

Jr. and Sr. High Youth

•   Mark your calendars!

- the Montreat Youth Conference for rising 9th graders through graduated seniors will be July 10-16, 2022

- the Montreat Middle School Conference for rising 6th through rising 8th graders will be July 20-24, 2022 (this is a new conference, more info to come)

- the Charleston Youth Mission Trip for Jr. and Sr. High Youth will be June 5-10, 2022 (this is a new retreat, more info to come)

•   Jr. and Sr. High Sunday school meets Sunday from 9:45-10:45 in the Sr. High room.

•   No youth meetings this Sunday. Hope you all have a great Spring Break!

During its Zoom on-line meeting on February 21, the Session…

• approved providing a letter of transfer for Kathi Kishkorn to St. Matthews Presbyterian Church in Silver Spring, Maryland;

• learned that the church’s income for January 2022 was $75,633; expenses, $49,426; and net income, $26,207;

• learned that the dates for stated meetings of the Presbytery in 2022 will be May 19 (First, Wetumpka), August 18 (First, Tuscaloosa), and November 17 (South Highland, Birmingham) and approved Marianne Cone and Clay Price as commissioners to the May 19 meeting;

• approved the 2022 General Fund budget with a deficit of $24,101;

• approved Karen and Steve Hickok’s request to use the sanctuary and Conway Hall for a recital on May 27, 2022, 5:00 to 7:30 p.m.;

• approved a proposal to hold the 11:00 a.m. worship service on May 22, 2022, at the Town Creek Park Pavilion, to be followed by a congregational Bring-Your-Own Picnic;

• approved increasing rent for student center housing by $25 per month beginning in August 2022, bringing total rent to $230 per month;

• approved Tom Duin, Will Duin, Jack Irwin, and Ethan Yuell as student center residents for the 2022-2023 school year;

• approved the baptism of Carson Herndon for March 20, 2022;

• approved a congregational meeting following the 11:00 a.m. worship service on March 13 for the purpose of changing the pastors’ terms of call;

• learned that Caroline Barnett is working with campus ministers in Tuscaloosa and Birmingham to plan a student retreat for university students at Living River in April; and

• learned that Kathy Reed is now chair of the Presbytery’s Commission on Preparation for Ministry and that Caroline Barnett is a member of that committee.

Birthdays

March 6 - Chris Greer, Loren Huggins

March 7 - Rory Greer

March 8 - Margaret Brinkley, Trip Hinkle

March 9 - Caroline Barnett, Joe Garrett

March 10 - Jacqui Barnes

118 St. Charles Drive

Helena, AL 35080

Oak Park, Room 129

1365 Gatewood Drive

Auburn, AL 36830

Oak Park, Room 123

1365 Gatewood Drive

Auburn, AL 36830