Fall 2023 Kickoff Sunday

August 27, 11:00 a.m., Fellowship Hall

Join us this Sunday after worship in Fellowship Hall for bagels, greet our new members, and learn more about opportunities for ministry and faith formation at FPC this fall. Information will be available about how you can get involved in a variety of church ministries, from Sunday school to small groups, from mission to fellowship. We hope that you will find your calling among the many ways to get connected in the congregation.

Presbyterian Women New Year’s Party

August 27, 11:30 a.m., Parlor

Come join the Presbyterian Women for a New Year’s Party! Stop by the parlor and make a friend, take a look at our study guide, and learn more about our small groups. All are welcome. For more information, contact Jamie Baer at jamielbaer@yahoo.com or Betsy Canfield at betsycanfield@gmail.com.

Project Safe Work Day

August 27, 2:00-5:00 p.m.

Help tidy the Project Safe Thrift Store in Bells Shopping Center, 995 Hawthorne Ave. #7. Project Safe works to end domestic violence. Please contact Kitty Donnan at kittydavedonnan@gmail.com for more information and to volunteer.

Youth Kickoff Potluck

August 27, 6:00 p.m., Fellowship Hall

All Middle and High School youth and parents are asked to attend the kickoff dinner/meeting. We’ll go over plans for the year, complete paperwork, sign up for trips, and get to catch up over a meal together. The church will provide fried chicken, water, and lemonade. Please bring a dish to share.

Kim would like to thank everyone for their prayers during her medical leave. She is recovering well and looking forward to getting back to church soon. You can follow her progress at caringbridge.org/visit/kimness. 

FPC Small Group Sign-up - Fall 2023

This fall, we will begin convening short-term, topic-based small groups. These groups are different from Sunday school classes in that they require a bit more commitment, either for attendance, for reading, or for both.

Small groups will meet weekly in the church building or on Zoom starting the week of September 17, and most will have their last meeting during the week of November 12 (9 weeks). Some groups may choose to meet for a few more sessions before the end of the year.

Unlike Sunday school classes, small groups will ask for a bit more commitment. Some might have reading to do before the meetings, and others require no preparation at all. Groups can take a break for a week if needed, but you will be encouraged to meet weekly to maintain a sense of community. Groups can choose to require/encourage reading ahead of time, or leaders can select a passage of a book or other resource to read and discuss together during the meeting.

Please use the QR code above or click here to read more and choose a group based on your schedule and interest.

Please read each description carefully, and rank your choice of small group based on time and topic. If we are unable to place you in your first choice group, we will place you in your second choice and so on. If we have to eliminate a group that is too small, we will place you in your second choice and so on. For the DISCIPLE Bible Study, only the time with the most registrants will be offered. If you’d like to participate in the DISCIPLE study with less commitment, the Builders Sunday school class will offer the same curriculum on Sunday mornings, with no RSVP required.

We will inform you of your group assignment on Thursday, August 31, and you will have until Thursday, September 7, to accept or decline your group and pay for resources, if applicable.

Here is the calendar plan for Fall 2023 small groups:

Fall Kickoff Sunday – August 27

Sign-up deadline - Wednesday, August 30

Communication regarding group assignments – Thursday, August 31

Deadline to accept or decline group assignment – Thursday, September 7

Small groups begin meeting – week of September 17

Final week of small group meetings – week of November 12

If we are unable to place you in a group you can join this fall, we plan to offer more options in the spring, so please contact Rev. Leigh Bonner (lbonner@firstpresathens.org) to give feedback on days, times, and topics for the future.

News from Family Promise of Athens

We are running low on supplies at our static site and day center! Please go to our Amazon wishlist here, or drop items off at our Day Center (First Baptist: 355 Pulaski Street) or our Static Site (Milledge Avenue Baptist Church: 1690 S Milledge Ave).

Click here to read August@First.