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NEWS @ FIRST
August 12, 2022
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All are welcome at First Presbyterian Church!
We hope that you experience the love of God
and of this congregation as we worship,
celebrate, and serve with one another.
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SUNDAY, August 14, 2023
TWO WORSHIP SERVICES
9:00 a.m. NewSong contemporary service
in the Fellowship Hall
11:00 a.m. traditional service
in the sanctuary
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Online access beginning at 11:00 AM | |
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A Visit from our Mission Partner
Immokalee Fair Housing Alliance (IFHA)
- THIS SUNDAY at 9:00 & 11:00 a.m. services
Alan Penick, the treasurer of IFHA, is our guest mission speaker for a Moment for Discipleship in both services this Sunday. Alan is also offering a Q & A session between services during fellowship hour.
The town of Immokalee, home to many agricultural workers and their families, was devastated when Hurricane Irma hit Southwest Florida in 2017. The storm also exposed the urgent need for safe and affordable housing for these hardworking people. Already a serious issue before the hurricane, the significant destruction of housing stock left farmworkers and their families with even more expensive and yet substandard, unsafe and overcrowded housing. In many cases, rents tripled and even quadrupled due to unconscionable rent-gouging. Today, COVID has shown just how dangerous the housing situation is in Immokalee. With extreme overcrowding, the virus spread through the population at an alarming rate, creating one of the nation’s worst hotspots for cases per capita.
Alan will share with us a short 3-minute video in each service and briefly update us on how IFHA is helping improve the housing situation for these farming families. For those who would like to talk personally with Alan about IFHA, he will be available between services in the Fellowship Hall. You may also visit their website at: https://immokaleefairhousing.org/ for more information.
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Invest in Children
Thank you, First Presbyterian Church, for investing in the children of Brentwood Elementary School (BES)! We estimate that over $1500 of supplies were delivered to the school! On the day the teachers returned to BES, they were able to select items from you to help their students. Many thanks to those who made this mission outreach of love happen!
On that day, our church also gifted the teachers with a delicious “Welcome Back” breakfast buffet to start their first day of the 2022-2023 school year. It was an awesome event, filled with happiness and anticipation. Thanks go to all who made this special breakfast possible!
Now that the school year has begun, remember to be mindful of ALL the students who are returning to school. Drive safely, especially in school zones, and pray for all the students, teachers and staff who will spend this school year together! May the ’22-’23 school year be blessed with love, learning, and joy!
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Rally Day
Sunday, August 21
10:00 a.m. in the Fellowship Hall
Join your church family to preview the new Sunday school curriculum
and offer feedback for this year’s calendar. More details coming!
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Fellowship Hour - Sundays Between Services
Are you hungry or thirsty, and looking for conversation between the 9:00 and 11:00 a.m. services? The Membership and Fellowship Committee invites all church members and friends to come and enjoy fellowship and refreshments every Sunday at 10:00 a.m. in the Fellowship Hall. Enjoy hot and cold drinks along with a multitude of baked goods, fruit, crackers, and cheese. This is a good time to reconnect with people you haven’t seen for a long time and to meet new people.
If you would like to help the team on occasion with setup, cleanup, or bringing snacks, speak to anyone you see setting up or clearing up, or contact Joanne Simons, SimonsJC1@gmail.com, or Sue Hargis Spigel, hargisspigel@yahoo.com.
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Invest in Children
Volunteers Needed
Our Invest in Children initiative is looking for volunteers to reach out in mission to the children of Brentwood Elementary School.
YOU can be one of those volunteers who serve at least one hour a week in a variety of ways such as . . .
· Reading buddy
· Small group assistant
· Art room and art projects helper
· Science Lab supporter
· Computer supporter (helping students log in and stay focused)
· Clerical helper (filing, cutting, copying etc.)
· Lunch buddy
· Media center helper
· One-on-one mentor, . . . and more!
Share your interest or questions with Jinny and Ron Miller by calling them at (941) 371-2750 (ext. 554) or email jinnyron@gmail.com.
The children need YOU!
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FPC's Weekly All Faiths Food Distribution
We have expanded our food offering and are now averaging over 100 families per week!
Join us on Thursday mornings to volunteer. We start packing food at 8:30 a.m. and serve from 10:00-11:30 a.m.
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Francis House News Flash! It’s A Girl!
On Wednesday, August 3, a healthy, 5-pound, 12-ounce baby girl was born to the mother living in Francis House. The baby was welcomed home on Saturday. She is the daughter of the newest mother to move into Francis House (only a few weeks before her birth) and has a four-year-old sister.
The mother had been experiencing medical concerns necessitating an overnight hospitalization shortly after moving into Francis House. However, with good care and a place to call home, the new family settled in at Francis House. In the mother’s words, “sleep, water, food, and safety” helped keep her blood pressure down and avoided a very premature birth.
The family will live at Francis House for about 3 months, giving the family safety, comfort, and assistance toward their eventual independence.
The pantry is stocked, there is a good supply of baby items on hand, and a healthy/hot meal is scheduled to be delivered weekly. At some time in the future, we will again ask for help from our congregation. We are thankful for God’s ever-present love and the blessings bestowed!
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Join the FPC Mission Trip
to Our Partner Church in Cárdenas, Cuba
February 9 – 15, 2023
Interested individuals and families may now sign up for the planned trip to Juan G. Hall Presbyterian Church in Cárdenas, Cuba, in the province of Matanzas. Some members of our congregation visited in two previous trips, and Pastor Alison Infante Zamora spoke here in 2017. COVID delayed us from building on the relationship that we had started—but we are ready to begin anew.
The purpose of this trip is to meet and continue to develop our personal relationships with members of Juan G. Hall and to learn about their culture, trials, and achievements while sharing our own. A detailed itinerary is on the link below and in August Cross Connections. We anticipate the cost of this trip to be about $1,500 (US dollars). Financial assistance from the Mission and Justice Committee will be available.
For specific information about the area and what it’s like, contact Sue Hargis Spigel, hargisspigel@yahoo.com or (941) 735-8786, or Graham Hart, 2grahamhart@gmail.com, for information about their experiences in Cuba. For details about the Cuba Partnership go to https://www.cubapartnersnetwork.info/. To get a feel for Juan G. Hall go to their Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/Iglesia-Presbiteriana-Reformada-Juan-G-Hall-en-C%C3%A1rdenas-1096173980413073/?ref=br_rs
A planning group (Dave Householder, Rachel Martin, Jay Swick,
Sue Hargis Spigel, Karen Olson, and Graham Hart) is working out the details. Talk to any of these folks to learn more. We will need both “senders” (folks to pray, help get things ready, and provide transportation to and from the airport, etc.) and “goers” to make the trip possible. To sign up, send a note to Dphouse47@gmail.com with what you would like to do.
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College/Continuing Education/
Technical School Scholarships
Scholarship money is available for the upcoming school year. Interested students and families should go to the website www.firstpressarasota.org, go to “Grow” tab and select “Young Adult” and print application. The application and transcripts must be received by Wednesday, August 31.
Transcripts, including those from the spring 2022 semester, should be included or forwarded as soon as available. Returning applicants need only to have their transcript sent and update their contact information. All college and technical school students are encouraged to apply. Please send applications to the church, attention: SCHOLARSHIPS.
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Volunteer Day Trips
to Beth-El Farmworker Ministry
Sponsored by Mission
and Justice Committee
Work at Beth-El
Last Wednesday of Month 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon
Resuming August 31
Be a part of the group from FPC that gathers at Beth-El Farmworker Ministry in Wimauma to sort food and related activities. This mission partner distributes food to help 600-900 folks each week.
To sign up or for more information, contact Dave Householder at phouse47@gmail.com; call or text (724) 462-4235
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Cowden-Smith Library Hours
Library open Monday – Friday
10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Sundays, 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon
The library book cart in the narthex offers a varied selection of our newer books from which you can choose, including some children's books. No due dates; simply return when you finish with them. A sign-out sheet is on the cart.
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COVID Update
On August 12, 2022, the CDC assessed Sarasota County’s COVID risk level as “high.” In keeping with our current session policy, masks are required of all worshipers. (Worship leaders may choose to lead without masks, since being maskless makes it easier for those persons to be understood.)
Thank you for doing what we can to slow the spread of the virus. When we return to a “medium” or “low” risk assessment in the county, masks again will be optional for those who are fully immunized.
Below is an easy-to-use CDC link to show current risk assessment by county:
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NEXT FPC Blood Drive: Sunday, September 18
Anyone who donates twice from June through September will receive a $20 Amazon gift card! Please contact Cheryl Track, Faith Community Nurse to register, (941) 320-3828, 4tracks@comcast.net
Donate Eyeglasses and Hearing Aids
Look for the Lions Club box located in church office to donate eyeglasses and hearing aids you no longer use. The box will remain in the church office. Contact Cheryl Track, Faith Community Nurse for more information, (941) 320-3828, 4tracks@comcast.net
Mental Health First Aid Refresher Class
If you took the Mental Health First Aid class April 2019 at First Presbyterian and would like to renew your certification, First Presbyterian will be hosting the class Friday, September 30, 9:00a.m. - 11:00 a.m. There will be no charge if you would like to attend the class without certification. $30 for certification. Tracy Daniels, BayCare Behavioral Health Educator, will be the instructor. Please contact Cheryl Track, Faith Community Nurse to register by Monday, September 19, (941) 320--3828, 4tracks@comcast.net
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Remembering Our Church Family in Prayer
Please pray for those who are experiencing particular health needs and consider sending a note of encouragement. Click on the link below for the prayer list:
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We Care Poster-Card Recipients
We appreciate our team of We Care poster artists who creatively design poster-cards for our church members when they are hospitalized. Special notes, prayers, and well wishes are written on the cards by our congregation on Sunday mornings, and the cards are mailed out.
On the link below is a list of those who have recently received a We Care poster-card. Consider how you might support them through a prayer, a card, or a phone call. Thank you for being family for one another!
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Staying Connected with the Pastor and Church Staff,
Session Members, and Deacons
By clicking on the link below you can easily access a printable document with the names and positions of your church leaders. Use this list when you want to contact them, send a word of encouragement, or pray for them!
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Pastoral Care
When you or a loved one is hospitalized, it is important that you contact the church or one of the pastors to inform us directly and inform the hospital that you are a member of our congregation and would welcome a visit by one of our pastors. Hospitals will not contact the church. We have also discovered that some will no longer even list a patient as our church member on their internal records unless the patient is careful to note their relationship with our congregation. Thank you for your assistance.
We’re Here for You!
The FPC care team, Stephen Ministers, deacons, elders and church staff continue to be available for you. Please feel free to reach out to Cheryl Track, Faith Community Nurse (941) 320-3828 or call the church office (941) 955-8119 if we can be of support to you.
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Get Easy Access to Church Member Information
Church Life is an app that is available to church members with iPhones or Androids. You can search for members, view phone and address information, photos, and family members. You can send a text or call with a simple tap on the phone number. You can even send an email. Here are two simple steps:
1) Download ACS Church Life from your App Store using either iPhone or Android (Blackberry and other mobile devices can enter www.churchlife.mobi from any mobile browser).
2) Log in. Use the same username/email and password you use for your member login on our website.
You can bring your phone into the church office and Lisa Garcia, Finance Manager, would be happy to help you navigate getting Church Life on your phone. Please call (941) 955-8119 to set up a time.
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