Rally Day

This Sunday

It's time to ring in the start of new Sunday School classes with our annual Rally Day celebration!

Children and Youth will gather for Sunday School at 9:45am. Room information can be found below:

Children's Ministry

• 3K-5K // Room C110
• 1st-5th Grade // Social Hall
• Child pick-up at 10:45am, in the following rooms:
• 1st & 2nd Grade // Room C202
• 3rd & 4th Grade // Room C203
• 5th Grade // Room C206

Youth Ministry

• Middle School // Room F201
• High School // Room F202

Adults are invited to gather at 10:00am in the Courtyard and surrounding areas for a time of fellowship, refreshments, and opportunities to hear about our fall study offerings! From there, Adult Sunday School classes will move to their individual rooms.

Our Summer Sizzle will take place following 11:00am Worship, featuring music, sprinklers, and the return of last year's foam party! Children and adults of all ages are encouraged to bring their towels and swimsuits and join the fun!

Lunch will be served in the Gym, for those that pre-registered. If you didn’t get a chance to sign up, feel free to grab a quick meal and bring it back to eat with your church family. There will be seating inside the gym as well as outdoors.

We can't wait to celebrate this fall kickoff with all of you!

Fall Focus: "This Is Our Story"

Beginning this Sunday

Beginning on Rally Day this Sunday, First Presbyterian is embarking on a season of storytelling with a church-wide focus this Fall that we are calling: “This Is Our Story.” Through worship, study, and mission, we will explore the different ways that our individual and collective stories tell the Story of God’s redemptive love at work all around us. We hope you will join us as together we bear witness to the good news that God’s story is very much still being written.

Wednesdays at First

Returns September 13

Enjoy good food and fellowship at WAF! (Wednesdays At First)

Click the button below to make your dinner reservations by Monday, September 11.

Remembering September 11

Let us pray for all nations and peoples of the earth, and for those in authority among them, that by God’s help they may seek justice and truth and live in peace and concord, until the earth is filled with the knowledge of your love; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

The Chapel will be open Monday, 9:00am-5:00pm.

Covenant Connections

Fall WAF Program | 6:15-7:00pm in Fogartie Hall

We tend to hear the story of the Bible in a piecemeal fashion – a story about Paul in Sunday School, a story about Moses in a sermon, a story about Abraham in a Bible study, and then a story about Jesus in a devotional. But how do all those stories fit together?

This fall at Wednesdays at First, we will be exploring how these individual stories connect into a single narrative timeline that enriches our understanding of each of those stories, and allows us to see beyond the trees of individual disconnected stories to the great forest of God’s redemptive work in history.

Acts 2:46 Lunches & Dinners

Sign Up by September 13

These Acts 2:46 lunches and dinners have been a blessing of laughter and belonging for folks. Be sure to join the fun this fall! When you register for our September 24 meals, you will be placed in a small group of 10-12 church folks for a one-time meal together, so you can have a proper visit rather than a rushed hello. Your host will invite everyone to bring something for the meal.

For the dinners, you will have the choice to be in an intergenerational (ages 22–102) or your “same decade” group. Your host will reach out the week before with their address and the menu. Lunch groups are also available. Click the the button to sign up by September 13.

Questions? Contact Ansley Page – apage@fpcspartanburg.org

Retirement Conversations with Joanne

Monday, September 18

Join Pastor Joanne for lunch and conversation about life after retirement! Click the button below to register for one (or all!) of the available lunch dates. Lunch will be from 12:00-1:30pm in the Large Private Dining Room.

Congregational Meeting

Sunday, September 17

The Session has called a Congregational Meeting for Sunday, September 17, at the conclusion of the 11:00am Worship Service for the purposes of receiving and acting on reports from the Congregational Nominating Committee (1) relative to the election of Ruling Elders and Deacons to the Class of 2025; and (2) regarding an Associate Pastor Nominating Committee.

Welcome Class

Sunday, September 17

On Sunday, September 17, we will have a special Welcome Class, 12:00-2:00pm in the Large Private Dining Room. Lunch will be included. If you are interested in joining or learning more about First Presbyterian Church, please RSVP to Joanie Shackleton (jshackleton@fpcspartanburg.org / 864-208-2132); this will help us with planning. 

JOY Fellowship - NASCAR Hall of Fame

Thursday, September 28

You're invited to join our Just Older Youth Fellowship as they visit the NASCAR Hall of Fame Museum in Charlotte, NC. Cost of admission is $24.00 per person. Bring money for lunch at the Pit Stop Café! Space is limited, so click the button below to sign up today!!

Questions? Contact Joanie Shackleton (jshackleton@fpcspartanburg.org / 864-208-2132)

Hand in Hand Truck Drive

Sunday, October 1

Our Hand in Hand community ministry will be holding a truck drive to fill their pantry with non-perishable food donations to help support Spartanburg families in need!

Bring your food donations to church on Sunday, October 1, and drop them off at the trucks on Chestnut Street or outside Fogartie Hall. To see the full list of suggested donations, go to fpcspartanburg.org/handinhand.

Hand in Hand also accepts monetary donations through the church giving site. Just select "Hand in Hand" from the dropdown box.

World Communion Sunday

Fresh-Baked Bread Needed

October 1 is our annual World Communion Sunday, when we celebrate our oneness in Christ with all our brothers and sisters around the world.

We encourage our church family to bring a home-baked loaf of bread for communion. Loaves can be dropped off in the Sanctuary at 9:45am or 10:45am. The display bread will be donated after the service to those in need. Thank you!

Churchwide Day of Service

Saturday, October 14

On Saturday, October 14, we will be having our second-annual Churchwide Day of Service! We will gather at the church at 8:00am for coffee and a brief devotion then, from 9:00am-12:00pm, people will serve in various local organizations around Spartanburg. Come back at noon for lunch and a debrief together, and we will finish by 1:00pm.

Childcare provided up - upon request - through 8 years old, and there are service opportunities for all ages! You won't want to miss it! Click the button below to register by October 1!

Stephen Ministry 30th Anniversary Dinner

Thursday, October 19

Stephen Ministry is celebrating 30 Years at First Presbyterian Church! (1993-2023)

We are honoring all past and present Stephen Ministers with a spectacular celebration on October 19 in Fogartie Hall! Interested in attending? Click the button below to register by October 13.

Children's Choirs

Begin September 13

Get your shine on with this year's Children's Choirs! Kids from 4K to 5th Grade will be the stars of Wednesday evenings as they burst into song!

The children's choir lineup will be different this year, but they'll be shining brighter than ever:

• Joyful Sound (4K) - Taught by Debbie Keiser
• Angel Chatter (5K-Grade 1) - Taught by Martha Bean
• LightShine (Grades 2-5) - Taught by Marcia Andrews & March Moody

Don’t miss out on any of the fun - click the button below to sign up!

First Steps in Music

It's never too early to teach your babies to make a joyful noise for the Lord! Our First Steps in Music program allows newborns through age 3 (and their parents) to experience music and movement together!

Classes are filling up quickly…only two openings left in the non-walker class! Classes for walking toddlers are full. Click the button below to sign up!

Fitness Machine Orientations

Mon, Thurs, & Fri in September

So many gym machines, so little time! Where does one begin?

We invite you to drop by for a machine orientation with Colleen. She will go over sets, reps, and proper form for each of our equipment pieces. No sign up needed. Every Monday & Friday at 10:00am, and Thursdays at 11:00am, all month long.

Vaccination/Skin and Bone Screening Clinic

October 10 & 11

It’s time to start registering for the upcoming Vaccination/Skin Screening/Bone Density Screening Clinic. The Drive-Thru Clinic (Flu shots only) is scheduled for Tuesday, October 10th 5:00 pm–7:00 pm

The Walk-in Clinic with screenings is scheduled for Wednesday, October 11th 5:00 pm–7:00 pm (During WAF) 

Please contact Beth Cecil to register (bcecil@fpcspartanburg.org).

Blood Drive

Sunday, November 5

Our next blood drive is scheduled for Sunday, November 05, 2023. If you would like to participate during that event please refrain from donating blood after Friday, September 08, 2023.

WAF Volunteers Needed

Wednesdays at First begins on September 13, and we need volunteers! Jobs include: Registration, desserts, serving/prep, kids table, dish washers, and breakdown.

If you're willing to help with any of these tasks, on any week of WAF, please click the button below to sign up. We appreciate your help in serving on our WAF Staff!

Hospitality Golf Carts

Drivers Needed

Our hospitality golf carts are driving toward a return to First Pres! We are excited to announce that you will soon be seeing golf carts in and around the parking lots on Sunday mornings. This service, which was suspended during the pandemic, will be offered again starting this Fall and is available to any and all members who’d like a ride from their car to the 11:00 worship service. Lots of little people to wrangle? Had a recent surgery? Feeling extra tired? We want you to catch a ride!

But FIRST, we need volunteer drivers! We are looking for 8-10 men and women, ages 25+, to drive the golf carts. With this number of volunteers, we expect each driver to be assigned a Sunday no more than once every two months. All drivers will go through a background check for insurance purposes and will be trained and oriented on driving and storing the golf cart.

Click the button below to volunteer for this easy, fun way to get involved!

JustFaith: Faith and Racial Justice

Begins September 13

Want to learn more about how to put your faith into action? JustFaith: Faith and Racial Justice will begin on September 13th, and it will run for 9 weeks on Wednesday nights (6:15-8:15pm). This program combines reading, videos, discussion, and prayer in a small group context.

If you are interested in learning more or want to sign-up, please contact Leslie Lang (llang@fpcspartanburg.org). Space is limited. 

2023 FIECP Summit

Thursday, October 19 | 8:30am-2:00pm

On Thursday, October 19 the Faith Initiative To End Child Poverty will host a summit from 8:30am-2:00pm focused on education, especially how congregations can best support students and educators. The Faith Initiative is a consortium of congregations working to end child poverty in Spartanburg. The Summit will be held at Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church in Spartanburg (502 S. Daniel Morgan Ave., Spartanburg, SC 29306). A light breakfast and lunch will be provided. All are welcome.

The Faith Initiative Summit is in partnership with the Spartanburg Academic Movement's 10th anniversary conference the day before, on October 18. This article by Dr. Irvin Scott from the Harvard LIFE (Leadership Initiative for Faith and Education) Program is our framework for the October 19 Summit.

Please RSVP so we can have a good estimate of attendance for food and seating. The Faith Initiative would especially like to invite congregations and educators who are partnered to serve students in our schools throughout Spartanburg County. If you are aware of ministries or congregations that work in partnership with our schools, please share with us who to contact in order to invite them to the Summit.

To RSVP for the the Summit and to connect us with ministries partnered with schools, please contact Scott Neely (neelysj@gmail.com).

Winter Warmth 2023

Volunteers Needed

We're in need of volunteers to be part of FPC’s largest annual mission project, Winter Warmth, where we distribute brand-new coats to children in need across Spartanburg County.

Volunteer jobs include helping with set-up, check-in, parking lot attendees, translators, and shoppers. We are also accepting donations of new scarfs, gloves, and winter hats.

Winter Warmth will take place on November 11th this year. If you're interested in volunteering, please click the button below to sign up!

Weekday School

Substitute Teachers Needed!

The Weekday School at FPC is looking for a few more substitute teachers for the 2023-2024 school year.

If you are interested in being a substitute at our wonderful Weekday School, or know someone who would be great, please contact Kris Graham at (kgraham@fpcspartanburg.org / 864-706-0460).

Cleveland Academy of Leadership

Kindergarten Tutors Needed!

Are you able to commit to one hour a week to help end child poverty through the gift of literacy?

Kindergarten Tutors are needed every day from 9:00-10:00am at Cleveland Academy to work in small groups with students. Please contact Mary Elizabeth Evans (mewevan@gmail.com) if you are interested and able to help. 

Sunday Greeters Needed!

Looking for an easy way to get involved in the church? Come share your smile and help greet on Sunday mornings! We need three greeters each Sunday- one to welcome those coming to Sunday school from 9:30-9:55 and two to welcome Sanctuary worshippers from 10:30 to 11:00. All you have to do is stand outside your assigned door and welcome people as they arrive! (You are welcome to bring your kids to help as well!)  We just ask that you bring your warm smile and friendly face.

FPC Spartanburg Sermoncast

Available on All Podcast Platforms

Missed last week's worship service? Want to revisit your favorite sermons while on the road, at work, or anywhere at all? Now you can!

All of it is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, or wherever you find your podcasts.