FPC FOCUS. Lent Gatherings WORSHIP SERVICES. Lenten Study Series. March 1, 2017 Ash Wednesday 12:00 noon and 7:00 pm services

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1 FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, GREENVILLE, NC FPC FOCUS Issue #668 Editor: Janice Gray WORSHIP SERVICES Ash Wednesday 12:00 noon and 7:00 pm services March 5, 2017 First Sunday in Lent 8:30 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. - Sanctuary 8:30 - Amanda Hines preaching, Does Faith Shape Your Values? 11:00 - Children s Choirs present It s Cool in the Furnace Psalm 32 Matthew 4:1-11 (Service broadcast live on WNCT 1070 AM starting at 11:00 a.m. and streamed live at and Lent Gatherings Our Wednesday Lenten Gatherings begin March 8, beginning with Meditation and Music at 12:00 noon and lunch following ($5 donation). Here is the schedule. March 8: Bill Neely, Devotion March 15: Kathleen Williams, Devotion March 22: Amanda Hines, Devotion March 29: Bill Neely, Devotion April 5: Amanda Hines, Devotion Faces at the Cross Holy Week Services: On Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday of Holy Week (April 10, 11, 12), we will have a 30- minute worship service at noon, followed by a soup and sandwich lunch. These services of prayer and Scripture will feature dramatic readings from characters of the passion story. The readings are based on monologues from Faces at the Cross by Presbyterian pastor J. Barrie Shepherd. We need volunteers to provide the soup/ sandwich lunches - sign up in the Welcome Center. Lenten Study Series Rev. Amanda Hines will be teaching a Lenten prayer and study series, With Jesus, beginning in March. The four-week series will meet on Sundays, March 5, March 19, March 26, and April 2, 4:45-6:00 p.m. in the parlor. We will explore four different passages of Scripture through Bible Study and contemplative prayer. Using different types of contemplative prayer, including a walking meditation and guided meditations, we will use our imaginations to engage each passage on a personal level. We will also look at the historical context, scholarly interpretation, and everyday applications of the passages. March 5 (Mark 10:17-27) As he set out on a journey. (to Jerusalem for Passover) Lectio Divina March 19 (Mark 14:17-25) The Last Supper Ignatian Prayer March 26 (John 14:1-16) part of Jesus farewell speech Augustinian Prayer April 2 (Mark 15:33-39) The death of Jesus Labyrinth walking prayer Our next issue of FOCUS will be printed Wednesday, April 5, Please submit all articles to janice@fpcgreenville.org by 9:00 a.m. Monday, April 3, 2017.

2 Page 2 UPCOMING EVENTS CALENDAR Sunday, March 5 8:30 am Worship (Sanctuary) 9:45 am Sunday School 11:00 am Worship (Sanctuary) 4:45 pm Lent Study (Parlor) Children s Choirs/Spread the Word 5:00 pm Youth Group 7:00 pm Ministry Meetings 8:00 pm Communications Council Monday, March 6 9:00 am Service League (FH) 11:00 am Staff Meeting (HHR) 6:30 pm Cub/Boy Scouts (BFH/Rooms) 7:00 pm Overeaters Anon (R211) Stephen Ministry (R205) Tuesday, March 7 7:00 am MOC Breakfast (Seahorse) 11:00 am Age Venturers Service Project 6:00 pm Personnel Committee 7:00 pm Bell Choir (R213) Wednesday, March 8 9:30 am Prayers & Squares (R207) 12:00 noon Lenten Devotion/Lunch AA (BFH) Cypress Glen Lunch 6:00 pm Prayer Shawl Ministry (Parlor) 7:00 pm Chancel Choir (R216) 8:00 pm AA (R202) Thursday, March 9 10:00 am Bible Study (Parlor) 6:30 pm Confirmation Retreat (FH) 7:00 pm Overeaters Anon (R211) 8:00 pm AA (BFH) Friday, March 10 6:30 pm First Friday Club (Ice Skating) Sunday, March 12 8:30 am Worship (Sanctuary) 9:45 am Sunday School 11:00 am Worship (Sanctuary) 4:00 pm Brad Collier s Recital (Sanctuary) 4:45 pm Children s Choirs/Spread the Word? 5:00 pm Youth Group (BFH) Monday, March 13 10:30 am Circle 1 (R205) 11:00 am Staff Meeting (HHR) 2:00 pm Circle 3 (Doris Robinson) 6:30 pm Cub/Boy Scouts (BFH/Rooms) 7:00 pm Overeaters Anon (R211) Tuesday, March 14 10:00 am Cypress Glen Circle 7:00 pm Bell Choir (R213) Circle 6 (Parlor) Wednesday, March 15 9:30 am Prayers & Squares (R207) Lenten Devotion/Lunch 6:00 pm Prayer Shawl Ministry (Parlor) 7:00 pm Chancel Choir (R216) 8:00 pm AA (R202) Thursday, March 16 10:00 am Bible Study (Parlor) 11:00 am Service League (R202) 6:00 pm PCM (FH) 7:00 pm Overeaters Anon (R211) 8:00 pm AA (BFH) Friday, March 17 Senior High Retreat Saturday, March 18 11:00 am Overeaters Anon (R211) Saturday, March 11 9:00 am Youth to Food Bank 11:00 am Overeaters Anon (R211) 7:00 pm Cotillion (FH) Share the Journey; Grow in Faith

3 Page 3 OUR MEMBERSHIP CARES Cypress Glen: Ben Lattin, C120, Beth Clark, A105, Martha Coffman, C213, Margie Wright, B318 Spring Arbor: Jim Finch, Thelma Flye Southern Assisted Living: Joe Sullivan At Home: Betty Ayers, Connie Bond, Jimmy Sutton Vidant: Presbyterian Women Meetings: Circle 1 meets March 13, 10:30 am at the church; Circle 3 meets March 13, 2:00 p.m., at the home of Doris Robinson, 3453 Providence Place, Winterville; Circle 6 meets March 14, 7:00 p.m. at the church; Cypress Glen Circle meets March 14, 10:00 am, at Cypress Glen. CT meets Monday, March 27, 10:00 a.m. at the church. All PW are invited to lunch at McAlister s Deli on Tuesday, March 28, 12:30 p.m. No reservation is needed. MOC Events The Men of the Church will meet for devotion and breakfast on Tuesday, March 7, 7:00 a.m., at the Seahorse. The MOC dinner will be Tuesday, March 21, 6:00 p.m., in the Fellowship Hall. Organ Recital Brad Collier will present a Lenten organ recital on Sunday, March 12, 4:00 p.m., at FPC. The program will include works by J.S. Bach, Brahms, and Barber. In addition to organ music, a quartet composed of chancel choir members will be singing various Lenten chorales. The recital is free and open to the public. FPC extends Christian sympathy to Lisa Burgwyn and family in the death of her grandmother, Alice Gums, who died February 23, 2017, in Roanoke Rapids, NC. Newsletter Delivery If you wish to guarantee that you receive your newsletters on time (and save the church some money), please consider switching to the online version; Janice at janice@fpcgreenville.org. Colorful King Cakes were auctioned Tuesday night as a part of our Shrove Tuesday dinner and fundraiser for our children s Montreat Week. Share the Journey; Grow in Faith

4 Page 4 Faces at the Cross Services: April 10, 11, 12 (Sanctuary) 12:00 noon Worship Service followed by light lunch Maundy Thursday: April 13, 7:00 p.m. with Immanuel Baptist Church at FPC, reception following Dr. Glenn Jonas preaching, You Are Servants Good Friday: April 14 12:00 noon - Stations of the Cross at St. Peter Catholic Church 7:00 p.m. - Tenebrae Service of Shadows with Last Words of Christ at First Presbyterian Church Easter Sunday: April 16 6:30 a.m. Outdoor Sunrise Service Amanda Hines preaching, I Have Seen the Lord 8:30 a.m., 11:00 a.m. Indoor Worship with Special Choirs Bill Neely preaching, There Shall Be a Day First Friday Club Our next meeting will be March 10th with Pizza Inn and Ice Skating. The cost is $12.00 to cover dinner and skating. If you would like to bring extra money for the snack bar or the arcade, that is fine. First Friday Club is for all 4th and 5th graders. Contact Brian Dilday for information, Barbecue Fundraiser The Mission Team will be having a Barbecue Plate Fundraiser on Friday, March 31st from The cost is $8.00 which includes barbecue, slaw, potatoes, green beans, bread and dessert. Tickets are available from any Mission Team member or from Janice in the church office. If you have an order of 10 or more plates, we will deliver! 1 Pat Tutino 2 Jayne Fisher Austin Phillips Carrie Hutchison 4 Sonya Longest Hunter Nelson Marshall Ogle 8 GiGi Rudolph 9 Edwin Bartlett Melissa Jolley Mac McCall 10 Ed Monroe 12 Ann Johnson Steve Nagy Scott Vaughan 13 Margaret Kugler Bob Peck Bill Baggett Max Nelson Clay Koonce 17 Karen Pearce 18 Mike Horton Rob Carroll 19 Emmett Koonce Harding Sugg Nancy Anderson 21 Brenda Killingsworth Rostam Amiri 22 Cameron Goldie Joseph Speight Emily Harvey 23 Johnnie May 27 Martin Hamilton Emi McCall Mac Clayton Nathan Potter 28 Sarah Adams Larry Phillips Charlotte Nelms Pat Sugg David Wood Mary Harding Sugg Emmajean Hearring 29 Linda Shaul 30 Charles Patterson Maura Nelson 6 Shelley Basnight Fred Wood Sandra Ward 7 Russ Bartlett Liam May 14 Deborah Durham 15 Emilie Kane Joy Phillips 16 Yvonne Deyton 24 Julia Nelson 25 Irma Chriscoe Bristol Bleau 26 Odell Welborn 31 Dorothy Muller Jerry Cox Share the Journey; Grow in Faith

5 Page 5 Request for Nominations for Honorary Life Membership Please send in your nominations for the Presbyterian Women HLM This award is conferred upon an individual in recognition of her faithful service in some area of the work and life of the church. Nominees do not have to be a member of a Circle or the Coordinating Team (CT) of PW to be nominated, but do have to have been a member of FPC for three or more years. Nomination letters should include information about the nominee and her contribution to FPC in Greenville, N.C. Nominations will be accepted until April 30th and should be ed or given to: Ginny Hill (HLM Moderator), SGHILL2@suddenlink.net. Mayfest for Missions Our annual Mayfest for Missions yard sale will be held Saturday, May 6. Our storage containers are set up in the parking lot for larger items or boxed small items. We will accept yard sale items Monday through Thursday between 8:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. and Saturdays from 8:30-11:00 a.m. Please fill from the back to the front, stacking to the ceiling. The grant application is on the church website, Please encourage any local organizations that you are involved in to apply for a Mayfest grant. Deadline is March 24. Hygiene Kit Collection Presbyterian Women are collecting items to make hygiene kits for flood victims We will be collecting the following items during the month of March. We will put the kits together at the church, date to be determined. Individual toothbrush and toothpaste Mouthwash Individual bars of soap Body wash Lotion or Vaseline Disposable razors Shaving cream Toilet tissue Paper towels Baby Wipes Washcloths Socks ( generic black or white tube socks) The youth group visited residents of Brookdale last Sunday. Share the Journey; Grow in Faith

6 Page 6 Youth Group News: What a great visit we had with the residents of Brookdale this past Sunday! I'm not sure who enjoyed it more--the residents or the youth. Thank you to those who joined us as we had a great turnout. It is definitely a trip we will need to do again. Sunday School--Georganne Perry will be teaching the Mid Highs and Emily Coffman will be teaching the senior highs. This will be the first lesson out of the Spring book. Confirmation Class--Our second retreat will be Thursday, March 9th at 6:30pm. We will have Bill Farrior as a guest speaker. Senior High Retreat--I am excited that 7 of us will be travelling to Camp Willow Run for the Senior High Retreat for good fun, good food, and good fellowship and worship. Mission Trip--Last call to cancel for the Mission Trip without having to pay anything but the deposit. We are in need of youth meals for the week of March 12th, March 26th, April 2nd, and May 7th. Please let me know if you are able and willing to do so. Mission Trip Participants--please be sure to visit the link and register for the trip. Thank you! Let me know if you need the link. Upcoming Dates--mark your calendar!!: March 5th--Regular Youth--dinner will be provided by the Rushings and the Fraleys March 9th--Confirmation Retreat March 11th--Food Bank and Yard Clean Up--we will be helping a family friend of the Robertsons who was displaced after Hurricane Floyd. We will go to the Food Bank from 8: :15. We will meet for Yard Clean Up at 11:15. A hamburger/hot dog lunch will be provided and then we will work. March 12th--Youth Council March 12th--Humane Society March Senior High Retreat March 19th--Regular Youth March 26th--Regular Youth March 31st--Barbecue Plate Sale for Mission Trip If you are not receiving the weekly s from me, please let me know ASAP so that I can send you the Registration Link! I am looking forward to all of the upcoming events that we have to look forward to over the next couple of months. As always, whenever the youth are out and about, I know that we are sharing in the journey and growing in our faith together. Brian Dilday, Youth Director, , FPCYouthgreenville@gmail.com

7 Communion Servers 8:30 a.m. Sunday Morning Leaders Page 7 March 5 March 12 March 19 Ann Herrin Mickey Herrin Kim Kooonce Emmett Koonce Betty Bailey Kim Bell Communion Servers 11:00 a.m. Allen Lyle (Captain), Vera & Kyle Braswell, Dave Kemble, Mike Horton, Bill & Wendy Farrior, Will O Rear, Jeri Jackson, Ashley Rudolph, Malcolm McLeod, Derek Perry Sunday Fellowship Harding & Pat Sugg Ashley Hardee Emi & Gibson McCall Flowers Sanctuary Flower Arranging Cypress Glen Circle Circle 1 Circle 3 Time for Young Disciples None Bucket Brigade John Ogle Godly Play None Angela Vinson Elizabeth Swaggerty Lay Reader 11:00 a.m. Jon Randall Melissa Nasea Anne Mauldin Elder Assisting in Worship David Webb (8:30) Bill Newill (11:00) David Webb Karen Kay Invitation to Discipleship 8:30 a.m. Tyler Burgwyn Ray Spears Joe Asselmeier 11:00 a.m. Doug Boyd Griff Burgwyn Linda Kean Greeters 8:30 a.m. Welcome Center Doors 11:00 a.m. Welcome Center Doors 11:00 a.m. Welcome Center Doors Ann Herrin Spencer Hill Anita Britt Betty Williams Betsy Baggett Antoinette Patterson Jim Williams Bill Baggett Cathy Taylor Communion Preparation Committee January-March 2017 Communion Baker Sanctuary Guild - March USHERS 8:30 a.m. - March Barbara Thomson, Cathy Taylor Marie Prosser Barbara Lanford USHERS 11:00 a.m. - March Kim Bell (Co-Captain) Don Barnes (Captain) Charles Manning Jerry Cox (Co-Captain) Georganne Perry Brian Dilday Mike Webb Shel Downes Mary Helen Stasavich Katy Webb Woody Crumpler Tim Longest

8 First Presbyterian Church 1400 South Elm Street Greenville, NC Phone: Fax: CHURCH DIRECTORY NON-PROF. ORG. U.S. POSTAGE PAID PERMIT NO. 264 Visit us online: William K. Neely, Pastor Amanda Hines, Interim Associate Pastor Kathleen Williams, Director of Christian Education Karrie Rushing, Director of Music Brian Dilday, Youth Director Brad Collier, Organist Deborah Durham, Financial Administrator Janice Gray, Office Administrator Terrence Clemons, Sexton LABEL PASTOR S WORD Dear Brothers and Sisters, As I write this, it is Shrove Tuesday or sometimes known as Fat Tuesday. It comes from an old European tradition of removing all of the fat from one s house before Lent begins. So folks would get together and eat up all of the butter, eggs, milk, and meat in their homes that would spoil over the next forty days. Lent was a time for fasting, a time for giving up something; however, I ve always believed that Lent should be a time of taking something on. For me the Lenten discipline consists of finding some activity or endeavor that draws me closer to God and to Jesus Christ. Lent should be a time for us to focus our attention on what the cross means and why it is so significant for our faith. Recently I was in conversation with a Jewish rabbi who asked me that very question, why is it that the cross is so important to you Christians? I responded the way I always love to, with a question, Why is it that the exodus and the Torah are so important to you Jews? Of course he responded by saying, Well, those are the things that formed us into a group and a nation, and remind us of just how much God loves us. And I responded, And for us, all of that happens at the cross. You see for Christians the cross symbolizes God cutting in to human history and claiming us as God s own. We all look for signs of God s grace and the assurance that we are loved by God. I can think of no better way for us as Christians than to realize that through the death and suffering and resurrection of Jesus, God s own Son, we have been claimed as the children of God and made heirs with Christ as brothers and sisters. I informed the rabbi that as Presbyterians we believe that we too are children of the covenant, not by some genetic heritage but through what Christ did for us on the cross. As we move through this Lenten season, may the astonishing, overwhelming, and awesome grace of God bring you to Easter so that like those early disciples, we may also stand amazed and awestruck. Bill Neely