August - First Presbyterian Church
Transcription
August - First Presbyterian Church
A UGUST 2016 Inside This Issue 1 From the Pastor 2 From the Associate 3 Picnic on Park 3 Child Development Update 4 Church Administration Matters 5 The Tabernacle Experience 6 Music Ministry 7 Birthdays 8-9 Calendar 10 Prayer Concerns 11 News 12-13 Children’s Ministry 14 Helping Florence Flourish 15 Youth Ministry Exciting Times in Our Children’s Ministries You will remember from last month’s newsletter, I shared a little about our upcoming new Child Development Center. We are very excited about this new ministry outreach, the encouraging response from within the church and the community, and the opportunity it provides for us to share and teach the love of Jesus on a daily basis with these children. Our programs, curriculum and activities will all be Christ centered. The staff has been hired, enrollment of children is currently at 53, as of this writing, and lots of new supplies and equipment are being purchased thanks to some very generous benefactors. There are still some needs (see our Christmas tree in the Welcome Center) which we hope many of you will be led to help us with. Our director, Beth Hepler, has worked hard to make this Child Development Center one we will all be proud of. Our opening day will be Monday, August 8th, and there will be an “Open House” for the church and community on August 22nd. Also in August, our Children’s Director, Alexis Morris and her “Children in Worship” team have some big plans. Here is a piece of correspondence Alexis recently sent to me: Children in Worship is an opportunity for young children in 3K- 1st grade to discover about worshipping our Lord in a structured environment. This ministry team uses a plan designed by Dick Gibson which allows the children to hear, see, and "touch" the stories of God's people as recorded in the Bible. The vision of Children in Worship is to prepare young hearts for worship in the sanctuary. Each worship time moves through a liturgy or order to get ready to hear and experience God's Word. Songs are sung, an offering is collected, prayers are prayed and the story is seen and heard with the aid of figurines. The children have the opportunity to work with and respond to the story through art, blocks and imaginative play. On August 25th at 7:00 pm, Dick Gibson himself, will be coming to First Presbyterian to lead a session for parents and share the vision for children to be a part of the corporate worship community. On August 26th, he will lead training sessions for anyone who is interested in being a part of this valuable ministry. For parents who cannot attend on the 25th, there will be a second opportunity on Saturday the 27th. More information will be forthcoming. It is wonderful to be part of a Church where the Holy Spirit is touching so many lives. Thanks for your support of our Church which makes our Children’s ministries and ALL of our ministries possible. God is using you in ways you don’t even know! God Bless, 2 FROM THE ASSOCIATE A Thought or Two Challenging You Toward Discipleship from the associate pastor Encouraged As I pause to think about the life of our congregation this summer and the opportunities to build God’s kingdom, I am astonished at all that is going on. I am always encouraged as I see our prayer warriors coming to church weekly to ask God to do his work. God seems to be listening!! Thank you, prayer warriors, for banding together and asking God to work in individual lives, as well as, asking God to energize his people for ministry in our community. I heard about the Fun in the Son trip from Brock and was encouraged to hear how God is working in our young people. I was encouraged again when Alana Tyler and many of our youth helped bring a special week to our East Florence Mission friends. About 30 children from East Florence had the time of their lives. I have been encouraged to see the women gathering for their 1 Peter Bible study on Wednesdays. About 25 women of all ages have joined that study. I was encouraged the other morning as I saw groups of men gathered to hold one another accountable in their spiritual lives over a breakfast at the Venus! I was encouraged by the way so many of you stepped up to help make Vacation Bible School a great success. Emily Jordan partnered with Alexis Morris to recruit an army of volunteers. Well done good and faithful servants. Over 100 children were blessed by the week! I was encouraged as I noted on Sunday that the Tabernacle Experience team once again helped over 2000 people see how the Tabernacle points to Jesus in Indiana. Convene Conference that will happen in September 19 and 20. Early bird registration is now open and I would encourage you to attend if you have a heart for Helping Florence Flourish. This conference brings together leaders from gospel city movements to learn from one another and from leaders of evidencebased work in cities from around the nation. It will be a highly interactive meeting where learning will take place through the knowledge shared by our speakers, deeper understanding built during discussions and model building, and application to each of our local contexts. City Convene is co-hosted by Helping Florence Flourish and Good Cities ministry led by Glenn Barth. Topics and speakers include: Racial Reconciliation — Neddie Winters, Mission Mississippi Church and Public School Partnerships — Jeff Martin, BeUndivided Portland, Oregon Citywide Prayer Initiatives — Pastor David Beidel from Staten Island and Saturate Building an Effective Backbone Organization — Stephanie Butler of the Church of Great Lansing Jobs — The best social program — Byron McMillan of Jobs for Life in Raleigh Cross-Sector Partnerships that Change Cities — Dr. Greg Thompson of New City Commons in Charlottesville, VA Servant Leadership in the Marketplace that Transforms — Luke Dooley, Q Commons All speakers are engaged in the work of the Gospel movement in their city and many have a national and/ or international scope and reach. We are expecting leadership teams to come from 20-25 cities in the SE U.S. As I write this, I anticipate a wonderful day of worship with the New Life Assembly of God church and hearing Pastor Andrew Ross bring us the message!! Please consider being a part of this conference as we vision a way forward to minister in our community more and more effectively. Registration links can be found on the Helping Florence Flourish website and Facebook page. There is so much for which to be thankful to the Lord. Be challenged to discipleship! I am looking forward to the fall and what God will continue to do. I have been very involved in the City 3 Wednesday, August 31 Dinner - MusicInflatables for the kids As we kick off our first Wednesday Night Child Development Center News Opening Monday, August 8, 2016 The time has come! On August 8th, we will open our doors to our new Child Development Center here at First Presbyterian Church! Many prayers have laid the foundation for this new ministry and it is with great anticipation that we move forward. Nineteen staff members are hired and will begin orientation training next week. We have enrolled nearly sixty children and have another twenty three on our waiting list for future openings. Thank you for your continued support through prayer and donations. It is truly amazing what our God will produce when we simply trust in Him! We hope to incorporate some church member volunteers in our child development program. Approved church member volunteers will be allowed to rock babies, read books and help with various inclassroom activities. Please watch for more information in the September newsletter. We are participating in the Harris Teeter, “Together in Education” program. All VIC card members may participate by registering at the checkout counter. Please ask the cashier to link your VIC card to our school code which is 3893. A percentage of your purchase dollars for the HT brand purchases will be contributed to our school program. Each VIC card customer may sign up for up to five schools to receive their donation equally. Please mark your calendars and plan to join us for our Community Open House “Sneak-a-Peak” which will be held on Monday, August 22nd from 6:00 to 8:00 PM. This will be a wonderful time for you to meet our Child Development Staff, visit classrooms and be with all of our wonderful families! Thank you again for opening your doors to this ministry! To God be the glory! Beth 4 CHURCH ADMINISTRATOR Church Administration Matters THANK YOU MCLEOD PRICE McLeod is a member of Boy Scout Troop 477. As a requirement for his Eagle Scout award, McLeod recently coordinated and completed re-striping the parking spaces in the church parking lots around the church campus. This much needed project will enhance the overall appearance of our campus. It will also greatly improve safety for our covenant partners and guests who attend worship service and other events. McLeod is the grandson of Julian Price, a long time covenant partner of First Presbyterian Church. NEW BEGINNINGS UPDATE New Beginning is the 2 year debt retirement campaign established to pay-off the remaining debt on the Sanctuary Renovation and construction of the Children/Education Building which was completed in 2014. The amount needed to retire the remaining debt was $1,750,000. During the pledge emphasis of the campaign, 158 of our covenant partners pledged $1,000,664.00 toward that goal. The campaign officially began January 1, 2015 and is scheduled to run until December 31, 2016. Giving to the New Beginning fund has been good. To date, we have received gifts totaling $771,389. I am happy to tell you that because of the generosity of our covenant partners, we have been able to make two very important decisions regarding the debt retirement. First, in 2015, the Enabling Unit approved a plan to increase the amount of the monthly loan payment to reduce the loan principal. Additionally, we have made several lump sum payments on the loan principal. By paying more than the minimum required monthly payment, and by making these additional principal payments the church will realize a significant savings in the amount of interest paid over the life of the loan. We are approaching the end of the New Beginnings Campaign emphasis. The quarterly contribution statements that you received in July include the status of your pledge. Please take a few moments to review that pledge. As you do, I want you to know that our new Child Development Center will be opening this month. Many of you will recall that part of the vision for use of the new facilities was to enhance the children’s ministry of the church and to be able to offer some form of childcare as an outreach to the community. Thank you for your continued generosity in supporting the mission and ministry of First Presbyterian Church. OFFERING ENVELOPES A growing number of our covenant partners are taking advantage of on-line giving. If you no longer wish to receive the envelopes by mail, please contact Gwen DuRant by phone or e-mail [email protected] to have your name removed from the envelope service mailing list. Please note, we will continue to provide envelopes to those who wish to receive them. Sunday school and regular worship times start back on Sunday, August 21! Royall Elementary Supplies Drive Some children can’t afford school supplies and a backpack. As part of our partnership with Royall Elementary, we are collecting school supplies for each grade. Please pick up a list of requested school supplies in the Welcome Center and return your donations by August 1 to the box in front of Alexis’ office. Thank you! 5 Crossroads Church was especially blessed and inspired by the impact of the Tabernacle on its members and community alike. Taking the Tabernacle down was a bittersweet task, as it also meant saying goodbye to new friends in Christ. Our volunteers were blessed, however, that Ark Encounter - which also opened during this mission - was on their travel route home and open until midnight that night! Volunteers toured the life-size replica of Noah's Ark until they were threatened with having to clean up after the animals - a highly recommended experience! (The Ark, not the cleanup!) The Creation Museum was also the travel route home, so volunteers visited there after a few hours of sleep and later enjoyed a meal along the Rocky Broad River in the Blue Ridge Mountains. God's presence was felt and seen in a lot of places this trip. With two autumn missions postponed until 2017, the team is working on another closer to As always, the LORD showed up, sending clouds and home this year, and perhaps a third...? breezes to cool the heaviest work days, holding back rains while outside work was underway, and protect- As always, the mission's limiting factor is voluning volunteers and the Tabernacle itself from the teers. When the LORD told His disciples, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few." (Matthew wrath of two thunderstorms. After one storm, 9:27, Luke 10:2) he described our Tabernacle minisas volunteers set up the Ark of the Covenant in the try perfectly! And so, we ask the Lord of the harvest Holy of Holies, the LORD painted a great rainbow "to send out workers into His harvest field." Missions high above the Tabernacle! entail leading host volunteers through setup of the Tabernacle, teaching them to minister in the Tabernacle, and leading them through take down of the Tabernacle - and the Spirit is always there. Our volunteers work with host churches 1 - 3 days per mission and participants can range in age from teens to seniors and be male or female. Come out and work with the team where the Old Testament meets the New! (Please contact Chris Handley, Joe Carter, Joe Koenig, Mike Porter or Donnie Wheeler if interested in volunteering with The TabThe LORD painted a great rainbow high above the Tabernacle ernacle as volunteers set up the Ark of the Covenant in the Holy of Holies in Schererville, Indiana. The Bronze Altar fire consumes grain offerings Experience as visitors ceremonially wash their hands at the (East Bronze Laver at Crossroads Community Church. Volunteers enjoyed a barbeque (complete with lefto- Coast)!) vers!) at the church after setup and had time to visit A life-size the Shrine of Christ's Passion in neighboring St John, sculpture of Indiana, after turning operation of the Tabernacle over Nicodemus to Crossroads' volunteers. The Shrine featured lifeand Joseph of Arimathea, size stations of the cross in beautiful relief, as well carryas a new life-size sculpture of Moses receiving the ing Jesus' Ten Commandments atop an amazing recreation of lifeless Volunteers toured the fullMount Sinai, which volunteers visited on its opening body to a scale replica of Noah's Ark day. stone tomb, The Tabernacle Experience (East Coast) was on mission in Schererville, Indiana, July 9 - 17, 2016. It was visited by over 2,000 people from as far away as Colorado, from many Christian denominations and from hundreds of congregations - and it was visited by many without congregations, who were a very special blessing. First Presbyterian's mission team partnered with Crossroads Community Church and could not have had finer hosts - Crossroads really put its love into it! The mission was funded by a handful of small Christian businesses in Schererville, and generously covered by The Times newspaper, both online and in print. in Williamstown, Kentucky 6 Get Involved in the Music Ministry This Fall Tuesdays 1:30 PM 4:00 PM Ladies' Ensemble Girls’ Ensemble (Grades 6-12) Choir Room Choir Room Chancel Handbells Children’s Choir (Grades 1-6) Preschool Choir (3K-5K) Praise Team Rehearsal Chancel Choir Rehearsal Handbell Room Children’s Choir Room Children’s Choir Room Sanctuary Choir Room Wednesdays 5:00 PM 6:30 PM 6:30 PM 6:30 PM 7:30 PM Pedal for PADD is Changing! New Date: Saturday, April 24th, 2017, New Location: First Presbyterian Church New Ride: “Downtown Roll” New Focus: A festival promoting cycling safety and awareness... for the whole community! Same Purpose: To raise funding for the Presbyterian Agency of Developmentally Disabled Interested in sharing your ideas for this festival? Please contact Janet Brand 843-665-6980 or Liz Moore 843-679-0063 BIRTHDAYS 7 01 Kendall Brand 09 Chris Canfield 16 Joey Hall 23 Cindy Johnson 01 Ella Naylor 09 Minnemie Murphy 17 Henry Johnson 24 Martha Dusenbury 03 Kathy Grace 09 Catherine Ervin 17 Jay Reece 24 Porter Stewart 03 Wallace Vaught, Jr. 09 Lincoln Emert 17 Frank Lee, Jr. 24 Brett Green 03 Rhett Spencer, Jr. 10 Caulder Christian 17 Brian Wallace 24 Ellen Grace Marechal 03 Caden Bulliner 11 Mary Everette Matthews 18 Evans Holland 24 Sarah Ella Hardee 03 Michael Frost 11 Amy Williams 18 Stuart Snow, Sr. 25 Lane Gilpin 04 Jane Ames 11 Chris Johnson 19 Carson Munn 25 Patti Hubbs 04 Casey Coker 12 Marshall Campbell 20 Pam Hoogenboom 25 Ronnie Welch 04 Bob O’Harra 12 Scott Ham 20 Dan Hicks 26 Sallyann Frost 05 Joe Koenig 12 Carol Crom 20 Betsy Johnson 26 Phyllis Williams 05 Stephanie Hutchinson 12 Donna Green 20 Philip Moore 26 Andi Rae Straus 05 Rob Hall 13 Andrew Halus 20 Charissa Canfield 27 Dakota Hawkins 05 Amelia Page 13 Pieter Murphy 20 Jeff Singletary 28 Betsy Harris 06 Jake McKay 13 Sherrill Fussell 21 Charlie Ervin 28 Tom Kellam 07 Tabatha Davis 14 Jim Moore 21 Mary Lou Arnold 28 Carolyn Caudle 08 Sandra Anderson 14 Ellen Fails 21 Mary Jane Holland 28 Ryon Watkins 08 Rufus Bratton, Jr. 14 Taylor Knudsen 21 Wit Poston 29 Rod Jernigan 08 Peggy Swearingen 15 Mary Louise McIntyre 21 Gregg Jones 29 Virginia Spencer 08 Brittany Reames 15 Tamara Hoefer 21 Jon Draeger 30 Lyllian Scott 09 Jennie O’Bryan 15 John Shurman 22 Kent Caudle 30 Tillman Johnson 09 Donna Crockett 16 Janet Brand 22 Catherine Canfield 30 Bill Refvem 23 Charlie Grace, IV 31 O’Neill Edwards 09 Mary Caroline Vaught Did we miss your birthday? Please contact Teresa Stewart at 662-2583 or [email protected] so we can correct our records. JULY 17 AT 10:00 AM THOMAS CRANFORD HOFLER BORN MARCH 17, 2016 SON OF JACK & LAURA ANNE HOFLER JULY 24 AT 10:00 AM CALEB RYAN MEYER BORN JUNE 10, 2016 SON OF RYAN MEYER AND BECKY FLOYD 8 CALENDAR OF EVENTS Monday, August 1, 2016 10:00 AM Women’s Bible Study/Prayer Group Tuesday, August 2, 2016 6:00 AM Men’s Bible Study: LR Chapel 7:00 AM Men’s Breakfast: Bazen’s Restaurant 9:30 AM Women’s Prayer Group 1:30 PM Ladies’ Ensemble: Choir Rm Wednesday, August 3, 2016 9:00 AM Women’s Summer Bible Study: LR 5:30 PM Youth 412 6:00 PM Women’s Summer Bible Study: LR 6:30 PM Praise Team Rehearsal 7:30 PM Chancel Choir Practice Thursday, August 4, 2016 7:15 AM Men’s Breakfast: Pres. Community Friday, August 5, 2016 Saturday, August 6, 2016 Sunday, August 7, 2016 COMMUNION SUNDAY 10:00 AM Combined Worship Service 1:00 PM MOVE (Youth) 4:30 PM Volleyball: CLC Monday, August 8, 2016 Child Development Center Opens 10:00 AM Women’s Bible Study/Prayer Group 6:00 PM Senior Night (Youth) Tuesday, August 9, 2016 6:00 AM Men’s Bible Study: LR Chapel 7:00 AM Men’s Breakfast: Bazen’s Restaurant 8:30 AM Sr/Jr Breakfast: Bazen’s Restaurant 9:30 AM Women’s Prayer Group 1:30 PM Ladies’ Ensemble: Choir Rm Wednesday, August 10, 2016 9:00 AM Women’s Summer Bible Study: LR 6:00 PM Women’s Summer Bible Study: LR 6:00 PM 412 Youth 6:30 PM Praise Team Rehearsal 7:30 PM Chancel Choir Practice Thursday, August 11, 2016 7:15 AM Men’s Breakfast: Pres. Community 8:00 AM P3BC Youth Friday, August 12, 2016 Saturday, August 13, 2016 6:00 AM Parking Lot Mission: Hope Health Parking Lot 9:00 AM Youth End of Summer Trip CALENDAR OF EVENTS 9 Sunday, August 14, 2016 10:00 AM Combined Worship Service 4:30 PM Volleyball: CLC 5:00 PM MOVE Youth Monday, August 15, 2016 10:00 AM Women’s Bible Study/Prayer Group Tuesday, August 16, 2016 6:00 AM Men’s Bible Study: LR Chapel 7:00 AM Men’s Breakfast: Bazen’s Restaurant 9:30 AM Women’s Prayer Group 1:30 PM Ladies’ Ensemble: Choir Rm 6:30 PM Board of Deacons: LR Wednesday, August 17, 2016 9:00 AM Women’s Summer Bible Study: LR 6:00 PM Women’s Summer Bible Study: LR 6:30 PM Praise Team Rehearsal 7:30 PM Chancel Choir Practice Thursday, August 18, 2016 7:15 AM Men’s Breakfast: Pres. Community Friday, August 19, 2016 NEWSLETTER DEADLINE Saturday, August 20, 2016 The Heart of the Home: PADD (Presbyterian Agency for the Developmentally Disabled) has a new residence, The Rutledge House which will house four individuals with intellectual disability, In order to outfit the new kitchen, and they are holding a Kitchen Fundraising Initiative called The Heart of the Home. All donations are tax deductible and checks may be made out to PADD. Giving Levels are: Partner $1000 Builder $500 Care Giver $250 Supporter $ 100 Friend Other Sunday, August 21, 2016 Promotion Sunday 8:30 AM Contemporary Worship Service 9:45 AM Sunday School 9:45 AM 1-6 grds meet in FH 10:30 AM Preschool Parents Meeting in FH 11:00 AM Traditional Worship Service 4:30 PM Volleyball: CLC 5:00 PM MOVE Youth: Bowling Tournament: All Star Lns Monday, August 22, 2016 10:00 AM Women’s Bible Study/Prayer Group 6:00 PM Child Development Center Open House Tuesday, August 23, 2016 6:00 AM Men’s Bible Study: LR Chapel 7:00 AM Men’s Breakfast: Bazen’s Restaurant 9:30 AM Women’s Prayer Group 1:30 PM Ladies’ Ensemble: Choir Rm 7:00 PM Session: LR Wednesday, August 24, 2016 9:00 AM Women’s Summer Bible Study: LR 6:00 PM Women’s Summer Bible Study: LR 6:00 PM 412 Youth 6:30 PM Praise Team Rehearsal 7:30 PM Chancel Choir Practice Thursday, August 25, 2016 7:15 AM Men’s Breakfast: Pres. Community 7:00 PM Children in Worship Dick Gibson Friday, August 26, 2016 Saturday, August 27, 2016 Sunday, August 28, 2016 8:30 AM Contemporary Worship Service 9:45 AM Sunday School 11:00 AM Traditional Worship Service 4:30 PM Volleyball: CLC 5:00 PM MOVE Youth Monday, August 29, 2016 10:00 AM Women’s Bible Study/Prayer Group Tuesday, August 30, 2016 6:00 AM Men’s Bible Study: LR Chapel 7:00 AM Men’s Breakfast: Bazen’s Restaurant 9:30 AM Women’s Prayer Group 1:30 PM Ladies’ Ensemble: Choir Rm Wednesday, August 31, 2016 9:00 AM Women’s Summer Bible Study: LR 6:00 PM Women’s Summer Bible Study: LR 5:30 PM Wednesday Night Kick Off: Picnic on Park 6:00 PM 412 Youth 6:30 PM Praise Team Rehearsal 7:30 PM Chancel Choir Practice 10 PRAYER CONCERNS Hospitals McLeod Extended Care ELMCROFT Betty Greer Heritage Home Malcolm Rogers PRESBYTERIAN COMMUNITY Shirley Cruickshank George Cruickshank Hannah Barringer Julian Price Bob van Witzenburg LAUREL GARDENS Joy Tedder George Richardson Homebound Cora Long Linda Foxworth Brooks Barringer Remember In Prayer This Month ELDERS Hal Fuller Steve Grady DEACONS Rita McInville Frances Rogers MISSIONARIES Dr. Cody Watson Dr. Roger Gulick WOMEN IN MINISTRY Jane Moss Patti Hubbs SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHERS Renee McRae JoAnn Patton Sick & Recovering Delores Galloway Rosanne Saunders Gwen Misurella Bryan Spearman Brandon Fuller Genie Lee Glenn Odom Jayne Boswell Deloris Galloway Stephanie Spivey Megan Matthews Carol Commander Lillian Kunz Dave Lawson Herbert Ames Special Requests Pam Hoogenboom HOUSEHOLDS Mrs. Roseanne Saunders Mr. & Mrs. Chris & Cille Scott, Pearce & Anne Evans Mr. & Mrs. Munford & Lyllian Scott Mrs. & Mrs. John & Ashley Scott, Ford Ms. Gray Scott Mr. Luke Scott, Kathryn & Liam Mr. & Mrs. Stacey & Lia Severance, Abby, Josie, Noelle, Eden Dr. & Mrs. Yong & Sue Shin, Hanna Mr. & Mrs. John & Jane Shurman, Anna & Richard Do you have a relative or friend whom you would like to honor? Sign up to place memorial flowers in the sanctuary! Please contact Genia Tyson ([email protected] OR 665-0295) or Melba Whitesides (669-8209). Please leave your name, phone #, and the date you wish to reserve. STAFF Brock Page Taiter Garrett Honorariums Memorials Sympathy John G. Hofler, IV Larry Brice Susan Dusenbury Annette Hamer Mary Miles Swink Family of Larry Brice NEWS Parking Lot Ministry Saturday, August 13th First Presbyterian will be serving the Parking Lot Ministry Breakfast the 2nd Saturday of each month. If you would like to help, please contact Donnie Wheeler at [email protected]. Scouting Ministry Update Monday night scout meetings start back for the new school year on August 22 in the CLC with a parents meeting and court of honor to present badges earned over the summer. Do You Want to Help the W. Virginia Flood Victims? If you would like to assist the West Virginia flood victims, ECO has partnered with World Renew Disaster Response Services. donations can be made to the church office marked West Virginia Flood. 11 The Presbyterian Community Report Last month, I was advised by my lawyer not to submit an article. The reason: I had profiled my favorite resident with the truth about her personality and other facts of her life. The editor had requested such information. Ineeda Mann tried to sue me; however she gave up when 7 public defenders refused to take her case. Therefore I believe that what I submitted speaks well for the statement “Truth is truth.” We have had some hot weather and a lot of rain, but neither has affected our fishing club contest at our pond every Friday at 9 am. Chris Hobson is our chaperone and he creates a lot of enthusiasm. He has a fishing contest going on between men and women. The women are leading by a score of 55 to 6. One reason the men are so far behind is because, even at our age, we try to help the little old women “get across the street.” Every one of them, except Clara Maxwell, are scared to take the fish off the hook and rebait for the next one. So our good hearted men spend their time unhooking and baiting up. We don’t have time to fish. We have had a problem with our vending machines. Too many slugs are in our coin holder. Our homeland security department has found the culprit. Of course, it is Ineeda Mann. They staked her out and found she was taking nickels and placing them on the railroad tracks. After the train had run over them they were squished into the size of a quarter. But the real evidence that convicted her were the 25 tootsie roll wrappers that housekeeping found in her room. She has had to repay every cent and is restricted from use of the vending machine for one month. -Tom Kellam, Foreign Correspondent 12 CHILDREN Kids @ 1st 8:30 Service 11:00 Service July 31 Watkins Aug 7 Prince Aug 14 McElveen TWO SERVICES RESUME The parent volunteer schedule will be updated to include the new 3K children. The 3K can begin coming in August. Parents are encouraged to come with your new 3K the first time. 8:30 11:00 Aug 21 Coker Singletary Aug 28 Hall Thompson Sept 4 Selleck Whitehead All Parents of Children who are rising 3K through 1st grade are invited to an evening with Dick Gibson. Dick is the pioneer in the model for young children in worship which seeks to prepare young hearts for worship in the sanctuary. He will be here for an introductory lesson on Thursday, August 25th at 7:00pm. Following the lesson, we will enjoy desserts and have the opportunity to ask questions and explore the children’s worship space. On Friday, the 26th, Dick will spend time training anyone who is interested in being a part of the leadership team of this valuable ministry. A few years ago, the Children’s Ministry team implemented national background checks for all individuals 18 years and older who regularly volunteer with children. This includes Sunday school teachers, Wednesday night leadership, VBS & Mission Camp leaders, and children in worship teachers. It is time to renew the checks. If you volunteer at all with children, please take a few minutes to fill out the online form. Go to the First Presbyterian webpage, select Discipleship, then Children and look for the link “Volunteer Background Check”. All information remains confidential. Thank you in advance for your desire to protect our children and our congregation. CHILDREN MSG FROM GOD VBS All 1st– 6th grade children and parents are encouraged to attend this special celebration in the Fellowship Hall on August 21st at 9:45 am Children will sit together and meet their new teachers. Then travel to their new classrooms. With the arrival of the Child Development Center, the 1st Grade class has moved upstairs. For this year, we will combine the 3rd and 4th grade classes. There will be a brief parents meeting once the children leave. Preschoolers, 2K-5K, will go directly to their rooms on this day. The 2K room is at the In The Beginning pod. The 3K– 5K rooms are found in the Covenant Kids pod. There will be a brief meeting for preschool parents at 10:30 in the Fellowship Hall. Wednesday Nights 2015 August 31 Picnic on Park with food, inflatables, music and friends. September 7 First Wednesday Night 6:15 6th grade parents meeting with Mike and Butch in the 6th grade room. 6:00 Elementary Program begins 6:30 Preschool Program begins. 13 1 4 HFF Helping Florence Flourish Helping Florence Flourish (HFF) continues to work toward our goal of seeking a visible demonstration of the unity of the body of Christ to bless Florence. City Convene: September 19-20: City Convene will help faith leaders from across the nation identify chronic problems in their cities and teach strategies and best-practices to work with people of faith and goodwill to build processes that create good cities. Glenn Barth is the author of The Good City: Transformed Lives Transforming Communities (Good Place Publishing, 2010). He has been working since the 1970s as a visionary and innovator among faith-based leaders mobilizing people to serve cities. Learn more about Helping Florence Flourish by visiting the website at http://helpingflorenceflourish.org/ IJM Ghana Trip – a note from Barry Jenkins I will travel to Ghana, Africa from Aug. 13-18 with representatives from IJM (International Justice Mission). The purpose of this trip is to meet with the IJM field office and aftercare providers who work to rescue and free children from child slave around Lake Volta. If you google “IJM Ghana”, several sites will show you the work they are doing. Here is a brief description from one IJM web site announcing their expansion into Ghana: Children enslaved on Lake Volta work 14-hour days with very little food, clothing or rest. They are regularly beaten and made to do back-breaking labor, including hauling hundreds of pounds of fish and swimming the depths of the lake to untangle nets. Child slavery on Ghana’s Lake Volta is brutal: IJM investigators met children as young as 4 forced to work in brutal conditions. They saw children with “distended stomachs, scars from beatings and physical abuse, skin diseases, hair falling out, and open sores and wounds.” Slave owners work them tirelessly without food and make even the smallest children dive deep to untangle nets, often leading to drowning. When Rev. Joe Farrell, a friend and ECO pastor with IJM, spoke with us in January, the Evangelism Unit said “We need to do something to help this ministry!” I am pleased to take part in this trip see firsthand the evil of child slavery and see how FPC in partnership with IJM might be able to have a small part in finding justice for these children. I would appreciate your prayers for me and this team as we come face to face with this evil of child slavery. I look forward to sharing this experience with you from the pulpit on August 21st . YOUTH 15 FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH 700 PARK AVENUE, FLORENCE, SC 29501 PHONE: 843-662-2583/FAX: 843-662-1726 CHURCH STAFF Senior Pastor ---------------------------- Dr. Barry L. Jenkins Associate Pastor------------------------ Rev. Chris Handley Director of Music/Organist- Mrs. Ann Rodgers Chandler Praise Team Leader ------------------------- Mr. Glenn Ham Director of Youth Ministry-------------------Mr. Brock Page Youth Ministry Assistant -- Ms. Christina “Taiter” Garrett Director of Children’s Ministry --------- Mrs. Alexis Morris Child Dev. Center Director --------------- Mrs. Beth Hepler The Tabernacle Experience --------------- Mr. Joe Koenig Church Administrator ------------------------ Mr. Don Hebert Administrative Assistant ----------- Mrs. Stephanie Jones Church Secretary ----------------------- Ms. Teresa Stewart Financial Secretary --------------------- Mrs. Gwen DuRant Head Custodian------------------------------- Mr. Ron Echols Asst. Custodian ------------------------------- Mr. Sidney Ruff Housekeeping --------------------------- Ms. Wanda LaSane www.florencefirst.org Facebook.com/FirstPresbyterianChurchFlorence Summer Combined Worship Schedule Through August 14 10:00 AM | No Sunday School