Congregational Friday Email, November 20, 2020
Dedication Sunday
This Sunday is Dedication Sunday for your pledges toward the 2021 FPC Budget. If you plan on making a pledge for next year, please either mail the pledge card to the church office using the addressed envelope included in the Stewardship Packet or bring it to Sunday, November 22, worship service. We will have baskets available for the envelopes containing your 2021 pledge. If you want to bring it to the church office, the hours are from 9AM until noon Monday through Thursday. This next week, the church office will be closed Thursday for the Thanksgiving holiday. We thank you for joining with First Presbyterian Church as we are Christ’s hands and feet in Craven County and beyond.
Change in K-5 Sunday School Class
Our K-5 Sunday School Class, using a new curriculum called Grow in Grace and Gratitude, has been offered each Sunday during fall quarter over Zoom. It has been a new experience teaching class in this way and many thanks and much appreciation go out to our teachers this quarter: Fossie Lathan, Middleton Hinckley and Oscara Stevick. Unfortunately, attendance has been low, averaging 1-2 per week. The Session of FPC and the Children and Youth Education Committee, therefore, made the decision NOT to offer this class until in-person Sunday School classes begin. We encourage families to attend worship together either in-person, if you are comfortable, or online, as well as watch Ms. Kerri’s Worship and Wonder video each week. We know life can be hectic, especially during this time of COVID, but we look forward to our elementary-age children participating in our Christian Education program when Sunday School Classes resume in person education. If you have questions, comments and/or concerns, please contact Janet Bryan.
Shalom,
Edward Bellis, Interim Pastor
This Sunday is Dedication Sunday for your pledges toward the 2021 FPC Budget. If you plan on making a pledge for next year, please either mail the pledge card to the church office using the addressed envelope included in the Stewardship Packet or bring it to Sunday, November 22, worship service. We will have baskets available for the envelopes containing your 2021 pledge. If you want to bring it to the church office, the hours are from 9AM until noon Monday through Thursday. This next week, the church office will be closed Thursday for the Thanksgiving holiday. We thank you for joining with First Presbyterian Church as we are Christ’s hands and feet in Craven County and beyond.
Change in K-5 Sunday School Class
Our K-5 Sunday School Class, using a new curriculum called Grow in Grace and Gratitude, has been offered each Sunday during fall quarter over Zoom. It has been a new experience teaching class in this way and many thanks and much appreciation go out to our teachers this quarter: Fossie Lathan, Middleton Hinckley and Oscara Stevick. Unfortunately, attendance has been low, averaging 1-2 per week. The Session of FPC and the Children and Youth Education Committee, therefore, made the decision NOT to offer this class until in-person Sunday School classes begin. We encourage families to attend worship together either in-person, if you are comfortable, or online, as well as watch Ms. Kerri’s Worship and Wonder video each week. We know life can be hectic, especially during this time of COVID, but we look forward to our elementary-age children participating in our Christian Education program when Sunday School Classes resume in person education. If you have questions, comments and/or concerns, please contact Janet Bryan.
Shalom,
Edward Bellis, Interim Pastor
Stewardship Gratitude Gathering
PW Thank Offering 2020
2020 Thank Offering for Presbyterian Women
The PW Thank Offering is usually collected at the November circle meetings. These offerings provide grants for projects such as portable showers, refrigerated food trucks, backpack food supplies, support for abused women and children, peer support for those with mental illness, hearing aids for seniors, help for homeless shelters, housing for drug rehabilitation, gardens for refugee families, and transportation needs for single mothers and widows. Our church has benefited from the Thank Offering by receiving grants for backpack blessings.
You do not have to be a member of Presbyterian Women to contribute. Due to the fact that most circles are meeting through ZOOM, each circle leader needs to inform their members where to mail their offering. Non-members may mail their checks to the church. Make checks payable to Presbyterian Women and write “Thank Offering” on the comment line. Thank you to all participating
The PW Thank Offering is usually collected at the November circle meetings. These offerings provide grants for projects such as portable showers, refrigerated food trucks, backpack food supplies, support for abused women and children, peer support for those with mental illness, hearing aids for seniors, help for homeless shelters, housing for drug rehabilitation, gardens for refugee families, and transportation needs for single mothers and widows. Our church has benefited from the Thank Offering by receiving grants for backpack blessings.
You do not have to be a member of Presbyterian Women to contribute. Due to the fact that most circles are meeting through ZOOM, each circle leader needs to inform their members where to mail their offering. Non-members may mail their checks to the church. Make checks payable to Presbyterian Women and write “Thank Offering” on the comment line. Thank you to all participating
Time Change
Daylight Saving Time Is Ending
Hello darkness my old friend, soon you will be here at 4 pm
On Saturday evening before you go to bed October 31,
don't forget to set your clock backward one hour.
This is also a great time to consider some basic but important maintenance.
- Put new batteries in your smoke & carbon monoxide detectors
- Remove expired items from your refrigerator
- Replace expired items in your first aid kit
- Check flashlight batteries
- Check your furnace filter
Guide to putting your clocks back
Smartphone - leave it alone it does the magic!
Sundial- move one house to the left.
Oven- You'll need a Masters in Electronic Engineering or a hammer.
Car Radio-Not worth it, wait for next time change......
Friday Finance Report
To congregation members at First Presbyterian,
We want to thank you to each of you for your continuing financial support in 2020. To say this year was a challenge is a vast understatement. While many churches and nonprofits are hurting across the US, FPC New Bern has done well. Yet, we too are seeing a dip in our financial income. Jim Briley, the church’s Treasurer, put together a brief summary of our income from January through September. I commend his good work to you to read.
Since we began in September, we saw a return to several of our programs and key projects. Please keep our youth and families in your prayers as Marianna Dunn (our High School Coordinator), our many youth leaders, and Janet Bryan’s (Elder assigned for Education) work is connecting families together. We are thankful that we are able to use the new kitchen in the J. Murphy Smith Center and look forward to the November 1 Fellowship Take Out dinner. The Session House kitchen is almost complete, and work is underway to repair and paint the steeple. Our Gifts of the Heart’s packaging and messaging are coming together.
We are doing good things in the name of Jesus Christ at 400 New Street. Please check out Jim’s letter using the link below, and if you need more information or want clarification please reach out to me by phone (252-637-3270) or email (eddie@firstpresnb.org). Continue to grow in God’s grace and walk in God’s love.
Peace,
Edward Bellis, Interim Pastor
Summary
Offering Envelopes/Online Giving
It’s almost time to order 2021 offering envelopes and we need your help! Many of you are utilizing online payments for giving and therefore may no longer need offering envelopes. Please notify us if you received envelopes this year but do not need them next year. For that we thank you. Those currently with a bank draft, please consider setting up First Pres as an automatic online payment similar to what you would do for your utility company or cell phone bill. You can set up the frequency of payments and modify the payment without incurring fees in doing so. Lastly, if you still prefer to personally mail checks or give in person and did not get envelopes last year, please let us know. Amber Zapffel can be contacted at amber@firstpresnb.org.
"First Edition" is the name of our First Presbyterian Church monthly newsletter — a great source of information on church events, milestones, and news. If you would like to submit an article for the newsletter, please email it to Cathy Wingfield (cathy@firstpresnb.org) or deliver it to the Church Office to be put in her box. The deadline to submit an article or photo is the 3rd Friday of the month.