News - First Presbyterian Church

Good Friday Service

Posted on Mar 25, 2022 in News |

Rev. Cheryl Skinner will lead us in a guided Labyrinth walk (rather than a more traditional service) this day as we focus on the cross. The Good Friday service will be held April 15, at Noon and again at 7:00 p.m. Both services will be held at First United Methodist Church. Our time together will include some opening liturgy, an explanation of the prayer labyrinth, an invitation to walk and allowing time for the walk. We will conclude with reflection on the experience and prayer.

Maundy Thursday Service

Posted on Mar 24, 2022 in News |

We will worship at First United Methodist Church at 7:00 p.m. on April 14. Pastor Nancy will offer the meditation, and communion will be served. We hope you will join us for this special observance as we approach Easter.

Funeral/Memorial Service Pre-Planning

Posted on Mar 15, 2022 in News |

On Ash Wednesday, we heard the words, Remember that you are dust and to dust you will return. These words, along with the sign of the cross on our forehead with ashes, remind us that death will come to each of us. Death is not the last word, though. Our faith proclaims that in life and in death we belong to God. Because Jesus lives, we shall also live. This hope helps us to face our present mortality with faith. A funeral and/or memorial service gives us the opportunity to witness to this hope. Have you considered pre-planning your service? One of the gifts the late Harriet Zimmerman and Kitty Anderson gave to their families was a plan for their memorial services. They made sure their children knew favorite hymns, scripture ideas, and other details so that the service would reflect who they were as God’s beloved, and who God is as Creator and Redeemer.

Perhaps you would like to think about your own service this season of Lent. Funeral/Memorial Service Planning Guides are available in the church office. I encourage you to pick one up or request Jeanna to email it to you. Take some time to think about what you’d like your loved ones to know when that time comes for your transition from life to death to life everlasting.

Pre-planning is not only a gift to your loved ones, but it is a gift to yourself and a witness to your faith in Jesus Christ. It also will help your new pastor to learn about you as she or he prepares your service with your family. Reach out to Pastor Nancy for more information. She would be glad to meet with you to discuss your ideas.

Lenten Sermon Series 2022

Posted on Mar 3, 2022 in News |

Praying through Lent is our theme this holy season. The disciples said to Jesus, Lord, teach us to pray. Prayer is communication with God, and it includes both speaking and listening. Using the Psalms and other scriptures each week, we will be introduced to various aspects and types of prayer and invited to practice prayerful disciplines. See the tentative schedule below:

March 6 Our Posture for Prayer

March 13 The ACTS Prayer

March 20 Quiet Prayer

March 27 Lament

April 3 Perseverance and The Lord’s Prayer (One blended service at 11:00)

April 10 Prayerful Walking (Palm Sunday)

Mental Health Family Support Groups

Posted on Mar 3, 2022 in News |

Family support groups will soon be available here in Davidson County for families of those living with mental illness.

National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Family Support Groups are offered free of charge for family members of someone diagnosed with or suspected of having a mental illness.

The support group will be co-facilitated by Cathy Browder. She is a local resident and has experience loving a family member with a mental health condition. Cathy is trained by NAMI as a facilitator to help support and encourage others seeking to help their loved ones.

Starting in April, the Family Support Group will meet regularly on the first and third Mondays of each month at 7:00 PM via Zoom.

To ask questions or get more information, please email Cathy at NAMIDavidsonCounty1@gmail.com.

GriefShare to Begin New Sessions March 6, 2022

Posted on Feb 24, 2022 in News |

Grief Share is “help and encouragement after the death of a spouse, child, family member or friend.”

First Presbyterian Church is hosting this program beginning Sunday afternoon, March 6, 2022 at 2:30 PM – 4:30 PM. The study will include 13 Sessions.

A video will be shown each week addressing topics such as “Guilt and Anger,” “Heaven,” and “What Do I Do Now?” After the video, participants will be given the opportunity to share their experiences if they wish.

A workbook is available for $15.00, but the workbook is not required. There is no additional cost for the program.

Please register by calling the First Presbyterian office at 336-248-2140. Let us walk with you on the pathway through grief into hope.

Ash Wednesday 2022

Posted on Feb 21, 2022 in News |

Lent begins with Ash Wednesday, on March 2nd. We will be partnering with First United Methodist Church for services on this holy day. There will be two offerings:

* Noon Prayer service at First United Methodist Church

* 7:00 p.m. service at First Presbyterian Church

There will be the Imposition of Ashes at noon and at 7, and the pastors from both churches will participate in each service. The choir will participate in the evening service, and we will celebrate the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper.

Begin your Lenten journey with worship on Ash Wednesday.

Baked Potato and Salad Luncheon on March 6, 2022

Posted on Feb 19, 2022 in News |

The YD’s will host their annual Baked Potato and Salad Luncheon on Sunday, March 6. Donations will be accepted, and proceeds will go to Acts Alive for their summer work camp.

March 6 is a First Sunday, so we will have Sunday School at 10 AM and a single, blended worship service in the sanctuary at 11 AM, along with the livestream on our YouTube channel.

If you plan to attend the luncheon, please let us know by either filling out a card on Sunday morning and dropping it in the offering plate, or by calling (336-248-2140) or emailing (office@fpclexnc.com) Jeanna by February 27.

2022 Scout Sunday – February 20

Posted on Feb 16, 2022 in News |

On Sunday, February 20, Scouts from Troop 205 will join us during the 11:00 AM service. You will see them there as ushers and greeters, and they will also participate during the service as Lay Leaders.

Our Boy Scouts are a rich part of our church’s history, and we want to honor them on this Sunday. When you see them, please welcome them and let them know you are proud of them for choosing to become Scouts.

New Race Book Study Begins Tuesday, January 18

Posted on Jan 12, 2022 in Uncategorized |

The first discussion session for the Race Unification Committee’s new race book study will be this coming Tuesday, Jan. 18, at 6 p.m. on Zoom.

There’s still time to sign up. Email RUC Chair Bill Keesler at wkeesler@triad.rr.com. We are currently out of books in the church office but will gladly find copies for additional readers registering in these last few days.

The book is “America’s Original Sin: Racism, White Privilege, and the Bridge to a New America” (2016), by Jim Wallis, a white evangelical preacher, pastor, university teacher, bestselling author, and magazine founder who has worked on racial issues for more than 50 years.

A total of six discussion sessions are planned for the book. Discussions will be held on the first and third Tuesdays monthly from 6 to 7 p.m.

The discussions, open to the entire congregation, offer an opportunity for combined discovery. All participants are encouraged to share their own thoughts and personal stories.

The discussions will be led by three RUC members – Walt Rouse, Ken Davis, and David Durrell. David will lead the first discussion session, which will focus on the Preface, Introduction, and Chapter 1.

The first discussion follows the celebration of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday on Monday and coincides on Tuesday with the National Day of Racial Healing, an outgrowth of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation’s Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation (TRHT) efforts.

TRHT is a comprehensive, national, and community-based process to plan for and bring about transformational and sustainable change and to address the historic and contemporary effects of racism. Organizations throughout the country, including Elon University’s Division of Inclusive Excellence and The League of Women Voters of Wake County in North Carolina, are holding National Day of Racial Healing events.