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The First News First Presbyterian Church

January, 2020

From Pastor Taylor

Friends,

I hope this new year is bringing you good news of great joy and that you had some time during Christmas and New Year’s to rest. Advent and Christmas was such a joy at FPC, wasn’t it?

In our congregational reading of We Make the Road by Walking, we’re beginning to hear the stories of Jesus’ life and how he encountered folks on the way. He taught, healed, asked questions, ate, listened. These stories tell us of how that good news of great joy the angels sang was lived out in Jesus’ daily life. But they also serve as an invitation for our imagina-tion, too, asking us to put ourselves in those very spots, very situations, and wondering

what our own encounters with Christ may be.

In his book In the Shelter, the Irish theologian and poet Pádraig Ó Tuama tells of his time working as a chaplain to teen-agers at the De La Salle Pastoral Centre in West Belfast. He ran prayer sessions that encouraged the teens to use their imagination to encounter Jesus, using a former of Ignatian prayer. Here’s how he describes it. I encourage you to try it for yourself in this next season.

Each person was invited to close their eyes and to imagine themselves taking a walk. This walk, they were invited to imagine, was in a pleasant place of their own choosing, at a time of their own choosing. At one point, they see a stranger coming towards them and, on closer inspection, they realised it was Jesus. He greets them by their own name...and they engage in a conversation. After a while they were told that if they wished to say anything at all to this character, they could - and then to listen for a response. Shortly after that, the imagination exercise came to an end with them saying goodbye in whatever way they wanted.

Here’s some good news of great joy: Jesus will meet us along the way. And - and - that conversation will change and grow and deepen our whole lives. I pray you’ll continue to walk with us this season, friends, paying attention to the ways you’re meeting Jesus in our worshipping life, Sunday School, missions, friendships, personal devotion. May this new year bring us new ways to encounter the Living God.

Peace,

Pastor Taylor

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The First News

Contemplating Membership?

Membership Exploration Class Begins January 19

Pastor Taylor will lead a series of classes for people considering membership at FPC beginning on Sunday, January 19 at 10 am in Carlton Hall.

The class will meet four times to explore membership, once with the Session to welcome class members into formal membership and once in worship to welcome and introduce new members to the congregation. January 19 - What does it mean to be Presbyterian? A (brief!) overview of reformed theology

January 26 - What does it mean to be Presbyterian at FPC? An overview of life at our church and how you can live into discipleship here

February 2 - What does it mean to be part of the Reformed Tradition? An overview of what it means to be part of the Presbyterian Church (USA) (our denominational affiliation)

February 9 - What does this all mean for me? Exploring our covenant life together and making a commitment to shared life

February 16 - 10am - Attend Sunday School class of your choice

12:15pm - Meet with Session to be welcomed into our shared life

February 23 - 11am during worship - Welcome of New Members

If you would like to join the class, please contact the church office or Pastor Taylor.

Executive Calendar

Meeting

Tuesday

January 21

6 pm

Carlton Hall

We Make the Road by Walking

Readings

January 5 Chapter 19

January 12 Chapter 20

January 19 Chapter 21

January 26 Chapter 22

February 2 Chapter 23

February 9 Chapter 24

February 1 6 Chapter 25

February 2 3 Chapter 26

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The First News

Savannah Presbytery’s 41st Annual

Faith Enrichment Conference Epworth by the Sea

St. Simons Island

February 7-8, 2020

From Mystery to Metamorphosis:

Transformation and Renewal for the Church

Keynote Speaker

Dr. William P. Brown William Marcellus McPheeters Professor of Old Testament at Columbia Theological Seminary.

Using Romans 12:2 as our point of departure during worship and Keynote, we’ll explore what Paul

means by transformation and renewal in their biblical context in order to draw implications for

renewal for the church today. If Paul were a Calvinist, his motto for the church would be:

Ecclesia transformata ssemper transformanda -

The church transformed and always transforming

Registration forms available at www.savannahpresbytery.org

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The First News

January

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 –New Year’s Day Church Office Closed

2

Jerri Smith, Elliott Wynn

3 4

5

10 am Sunday School 11 am Worship and Communion

6 - Mission Monday 8:15 am Pastor’s Bible Study

7

3:30 pm Ladies Bible Study

8 9

8 am Men’s 2x4 Bible Study 10 am –2pm Rebecca’s Café Linda Christy

10 11

12

9:30am Youth Pancakes and PJs 10 am Sunday School 11 am Worship

13

8:15 am Pastor’s Bible Study 2 pm Joy Circle

14

3:30 pm Ladies Bible Study

15

5:30 pm Potluck Supper and Sign up For First Friends Suzanne Dunn, Robert Massee

16

Eddie Dennis

17

Bob Dixon, Anne Newell

18

10 am - 5 pm Session Retreat

19

10 am New Member Class 10 am Sunday School 11 am Worship

20 - MLK Holiday Church office closed

21

3:30 pm Ladies Bible Study 6 pm Executive Calendar Meeting Brady Basquin, Connie Connell

22

Emily Anne Broucek, Russell Willerton

23

Amelia Scheetz

24

Tal Callaway

25

26

10 am New Member Class 10 am Sunday School 11 am Worship Noon Youth Bible Study 3 pm Laundry Love Fern McMahon

27

815 am Pastor’s Bible Study 11:30 am Book Club

28

3:30 pm Ladies Bible Study William Simpson

29 30

Brad Newell

31

Cater Massee

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The First News

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 –New Year’s Day Church Office Closed

2

Jerri Smith, Elliott Wynn

3 4

5

10 am Sunday School 11 am Worship and Communion

6 - Mission Monday 8:15 am Pastor’s Bible Study

7

3:30 pm Ladies Bible Study

8 9

8 am Men’s 2x4 Bible Study 10 am –2pm Rebecca’s Café Linda Christy

10 11

12

9:30am Youth Pancakes and PJs 10 am Sunday School 11 am Worship

13

8:15 am Pastor’s Bible Study 2 pm Joy Circle

14

3:30 pm Ladies Bible Study

15

5:30 pm Potluck Supper and Sign up For First Friends Suzanne Dunn, Robert Massee

16

Eddie Dennis

17

Bob Dixon, Anne Newell

18

10 am - 5 pm Session Retreat

19

10 am New Member Class 10 am Sunday School 11 am Worship

20 - MLK Holiday Church office closed

21

3:30 pm Ladies Bible Study 6 pm Executive Calendar Meeting Brady Basquin, Connie Connell

22

Emily Anne Broucek, Russell Willerton

23

Amelia Scheetz

24

Tal Callaway

25

26

10 am New Member Class 10 am Sunday School 11 am Worship Noon Youth Bible Study 3 pm Laundry Love Fern McMahon

27

815 am Pastor’s Bible Study 11:30 am Book Club

28

3:30 pm Ladies Bible Study William Simpson

29 30

Brad Newell

31

Cater Massee

Liturgist: Brett Curry

Ushers: Patti Moore and Marti Schriver

Birthdays are listed in italics

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The First News

Book Club Gears Up For New Year

The All Seasons Book Club will resume meeting on

January 27. The selected book is My Name Is Eva, by

Suzanne Goldring.

February’s read is Free Lunch,

by Rex Ogle and March will bring

The Dutch House, by Ann

Patchett as the selected book.

The Club meets at 11:30 am in the

Fielding Russell Room. Everyone

is invited to come enjoy

the discussion.

First Friends Missions & Service Wednesday, January 15, 2020

Potluck Supper 5:45-6:30

Hear about & sign up for various missions and service projects.

Some of these projects will be familiar to you and some will be new. You will choose one project (or more if you wish!) to participate in between January 15 and

February 12. On Wednesday, February 12, we will come together again to share our experiences.

The idea behind this is to shine a light on the many wonderful mission opportunities already available at FPC and introduce you to some other ways that we can alterna-

tively serve. These opportunities will be offered at various days and times.

Questions? Contact Susan Parrish susan@fpcstatesboro.org

Joy Circle First 2020 Meeting is Jan. 13

The Joy Circle will

meet on Monday,

January 13, in the

Fielding Russell

Room.

Verdery Kennedy

will lead a discus-

sion of Session

Four (pages 69-

97) in All Things

New.

Refreshments will be provided by Sarah Dixon.

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Church Staff

Ministers: All Members of the Church

Pastor: Taylor Lewis Guthrie Hartman

Christian Education Director: Susan Parrish

Organists: Duke Miles & Glenn Haynes

Office Administrator: June Bryant-Hackle

Youth Director: Alex Gilbert

2019 Ruling Elders

Clerk of Session: Eileen Bayens

Administration Committee: Ann Henderson (22) & Andrew Allen (20)

Christian Education Committee: Stacey Basquin (20) & Doty Dunn (21)

Facilities Committee: Carlita Slatky (21) & Matt Gerig (22)

Mission Committee: Patti Moore (21) & Mike Herndon (22)

Pastoral Care Committee: Charlotte Wynn (20) & Lynda Webb (20)

Worship Committee: Bill Mase (21) & Jim LoBue (22)

The First News

Let’s Stay Connected On the web: www.fpcstatesboro.org

Facebook: First Presbyterian Church Statesboro

UKirk Georgia Southern

Instagram: First Presbyterian Church

UKirk Georgia Southern

FPC Statesboro Youth

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First Presbyterian Church 1215 Fair Road

Statesboro, Georgia 30458

Our Shared Mission

The mission of the First Presbyterian Church of Statesboro, Georgia, is to

be a Christ-centered family of believers called and committed to worship-

ping, growing spiritually, and sharing God’s love and grace. Included within

this mission is to be witnesses to the new thing God is doing in the world in Christ: breaking

down barriers of every kind, bringing forth life in the face of death, reconciling the world to

God and people to each other. As we work toward attaining these goals we worship together in

song and prayer, study the scriptures, serve our neighbors, and grow in the Spirit of unity and

peace.