THE SPIRE LIGHT First Presbyterian Church 100 Silver Creek Road, Morganton, NC

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1 THE SPIRE LIGHT First Presbyterian Church 100 Silver Creek Road, Morganton, NC July 9-August 5, 2017 Worship with us on Sundays! 10:55 AM Worship Service July 9, 2017 Our Lord Rev. Dr. Wanda Neely John 1:1-5, Hebrews 1:1-4 Don and Julie Scott; Mary Turner July 16, 2017 Christmas in July Born of the Virgin Mary Rev. Dr. Wanda Neely Luke 1:26-38; Luke 2:1-14 Chris and Ann Bergelin; Port Family July 23, 2017 Will Come Again to Judge Rev. Dr. William K. Neely Matthew 25:31-40; Rev. 21:1-6 Lewis and Jane Rigsbee Barry and Lori Stock July 30, 2017 The Spirit Who Is Not a Ghost Rev. Adam C. Bowling John 20:19-23; I Cor 12:3b-13 Kendrick Family Casey and Stacy Opp VACATION BIBLE CAMP Donation List large bath towels or beach towels 12 pairs of binoculars for a nature outing (to borrow & return) 1 bag of normal bird seed 1 bag of black oil seed 15 4-inch pots hula hoops 4 badminton rackets badminton net badminton birdies acrylic paint paint brushes 14 9x12 stretched canvases Crayola crayons Crayola colored pencils streamers/crepe paper bubble solution masking tape blue painters tape paper plates (not styrofoam) napkins zip-lock storage bags, all sizes: snack, sandwich, quart, gallon large and small brown paper bags glue sticks coffee filters For a full list, visit our church website: (link is on the sidebar). Please put all your donated items in the children's library at church. Thank you! July Visitors Table Shari LeGoullon

2 Summer Sunday s Please Participate Thanks to all who have signed up to host a Summer Sunday time following worship. Everyone, please plan to stay for fellowship! Schedule updates: July 23 One or two more hosts are needed. Sign up on the board in the breezeway. July 30 Special opportunity to support the Sweet and Savory Delights Bakery project for scholarship assistance. The women of this project will be providing small sample sweets. Please come prepared to make a donation to this important mission of the church. Checks should be made to Sweet and Savory Delights Bakery. Elective Adult Sunday School Class 9:30 AM in Room 102 Downstairs July 9-August 27: The Elective Sunday School Class will be experiencing a Summer Journey of Exploration. We are blessed with the willingness of nine talented individuals to lead one class each on their choice of topics. This list of outstanding teachers will give you an idea of how meaningful this time is going to be: Rick Leissner, Jimmy Ervin, Patti Matthias, Posie George, Lena Kenan, Beth Blanton, Allison and Doug Thompson and family, Wyatt Aiken, Wanda Neely. You will not want to miss a single class come and GROW with us! Bible Camp Service Project Collections This summer at Vacation Bible Camp, the children will sort children's items for September's Mission Morganton Giveway. If you have new or gently-used children's clothing, footwear, or toys, please put items in the donation barrel located outside of the chapel. By donating to this hands-on project, you will not only help clothe those in need but also will give the children a chance to participate in helping others. Presbyterian Disaster Assistance Mission Trip to Kinston, NC October 8-13, 2017 Hosted by First Presbyterian Church of Kinston The PWNC Mission trip to Kinston, NC, will help folks rebuild after the devastation of Hurricane Matthew. Registration forms will be available on the PWNC website ( along with a Kinston site manual. Please pray for our Fun in the Son Youth Conference Trip at Hilton Head, July 9-14, 2017: Adult Male: Rev. Adam Bowling (Trip Leader) Scott Davis Adult Female: Ashley Abee Molly Franklin Youth Male: Josiah Harbour (10) Adam Davis (11) Ryan LeGoullon (11) Douglas Coley (12) Seth Hembree (college) Youth Female: Elizabeth Coley (9) Gracie Mode (9) Hope Hembree (10) Breanna Johnson (10) Hannah Johnson (10) Shayle Johnson (11) Micah Robinson (11) Nevaeh Williams (11) Victoria Kirby (12) Jessica McIntyre (college) Amber Opp (college) Robyn Opp (college) Sara Grace Vinay (college) Please pray for our Youth Mission Trip to Nowhere, July 30-August 3, Location: Different mission locations throughout Burke County: Adult Male: Rev. Adam C. Bowling (Trip Leader) Adult Female: Robyn Opp Youth Male: Josiah Harbour (10) Youth Female: Happy Nagy (7) Hannah Fleming (8) Madison Lowry (8) AJ Simpson (9) Micah Robinson (11) Nevaeh Williams (11) Jessica McIntyre (college) Sara Grace Vinay (college)

3 Wednesday, July 5, 7:00-8:00 PM Fun in the Son Youth Conference Trip Meeting: All Fun in the Son Youth Conference Trip participants and a parental unit should come to this meeting downstairs in room 102. If you will be out of town, please let Pastor Adam know. Sunday, July 9, During the Worship Service Guatemala Mission Trip Commissioning: Mason Streppa and Ben Lowry will be commissioned in the worship service on Sunday, July 9, for their trip to Guatemala with the Presbytery of Western North Carolina. July 9-14 Fun in the Son Youth Conference Trip: All youth and adults attending the Fun in the Son Youth Conference Trip are asked to turn in two original copies of their Permission, Release, and Consent forms to the church office ASAP. Also, please pay any remaining balance you owe on your trip. Participants are asked to come to the church fellowship hall on Sunday, July 9, 9:00 AM, packed and ready to go check your packing list twice! July 30-August 3 Youth Mission Trip to Nowhere: All youth and adult participants are asked to come to church packed and ready to go at 10:00 AM on Sunday, July 30. Come dressed for the 10:55 AM worship service as we will be commissioned that Sunday during the service. We will begin our mission activities immediately following worship at 12:15 PM. Check your snail mail and for more information. Student Ministries Rev. Adam Bowling adam@firstpresmorganton.org Christmas in July Worship Service Please join us for Christmas in July on July 16. During the Sunday School hour starting at 9:30 AM, children participating in Vacation Bible Camp can pre-register and skip the line on Monday. All children who attend Sunday School will participate in the Christmas service at 11:00 AM. Everyone, pull out those Christmas sweaters! Thank You I want to thank all the people who contributed to the meal for the visiting folks from Virginia who worked on Habitat for Humanity projects. A special thanks to Debbie Wellmon and Donna Benner for organizing the meal. The team enjoyed a wonderful dinner and program, and they wanted our members to know how much they appreciated the hospitality. --Dick Peck Vacation Bible Camp 2017 HERO CENTRAL Discover Your Strength in God! July 17-21, :00 AM-3:00 PM (nursery opens 8:30 AM) For age 3 ½ (toilet trained) to rising 6th graders Contact a director to volunteer: Erin Bowling: erinkbowling@gmail.com; Teresa Carpenter: teresacarpen@aol.com; Carly Carpenter: carlycarpentergold@gmail.com; to to receive text message alerts for camp. Text camphelper to to receive volunteer text message alerts. I am the resurrection and the life. Congregational love and sympathy are extended to Betty Sasser, Pride and Charmaine Sasser, and family in the death of Charles Edward Charlie Sasser on June 17, The next newsletter covers August 6-26 events. Please submit your church news to the church office by noon on Monday, July 31.

4 Sunday, July 9 9:00 AM Youth FITS 10:55 AM Summer Worship Monday, July 10 6:30 PM Mission Study Committee Tuesday, July 11 9:00 AM Soup Kitchen 1:30 PM Staff Meeting Thursday, July 13 7:00 PM Pints with Presbyterians Fonta Flora Friday, July 14 8:30 AM Administration Committee Meeting FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH CALENDAR Sunday, July 16 9:30 AM Bible Camp Pre-Check-In 10:55 AM Christmas in July 12:15 PM Bible Camp Set Up Monday, July 17 Tuesday, July 18 1:30 PM Staff Meeting Wednesday, July 19 Thursday, July 20 Friday, July 21 Sunday, July 23 10:55 AM Summer Worship Monday, July 24 Class 11:00 AM Grace Ridge Communion Tuesday, July 25 Thursday, July 27 9:00 AM Soup Kitchen 7:00 PM Pints with Presbyterians Fonta Flora Sunday, July 30 9:30 AM Elective Class 10:00 AM Youth Mission Team Meets Before Worship 10:55 AM Summer Worship Monday, July 31 Class 12:00 PM Spire Light Deadline Tuesday, August 1 Wednesday, August 2 10:30 AM Spire Light Volunteers Lori Murray will leave for vacation on July 12 and return to the office on July 24. See pages 5 and 6 below.

5 We have entered those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer when our thoughts turn to trips away and time with family. It is easy when we are on vacation to forget that our church continues to need our financial support. Remember, even when we are away, the air conditioning and lights have to be kept on and mission and ministry needs must be met. Like many of you, my time away this summer involves family events. I recall a statement in Homiletics Journal where the writer observes, Nobody drives us crazy like our own family. They re odd, they push our buttons, they re the source of our biggest frustrations but also our greatest joy. It s not always going to run smoothly and we re not always going to agree, but, in the end, if real love is present, our family is the place to be. May God give you good times with family this summer, and even when things run not so smoothly, may you still find real love together. When you are in town, I expect to see you in worship with your church family. Do you know that scientists have discovered that sound travels faster in the summer than in the winter? Sound travels through the hot summer air at 1,266 feet a second. In cold air, sound travels as slowly as 1,066 feet per second. So this means that sermons preached in the summer are naturally shorter, right? Summer blessings, Wanda Neely From the Church Survey The Church Survey Team thanks all who participated in the survey this spring. Beginning with this newsletter, we will share some of the responses from the 143 participants. Q. Which task does your congregation do best? Top five answers: Offering worship that provides a meaningful experience of God and the Christian tradition. Providing Christian education for children and adults. Providing a caring ministry for the sick, shut-ins, and the bereaved. Engaging in acts of charity and service to persons in need. Helping members deepen their personal, spiritual relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Q. What task needs more emphasis? Top five answers: Sharing the good news of the Gospel with the unchurched. Participating in activities and programs with other local religious groups. Helping members discover their own gifts for ministry and service. Providing Christian education programs for adults. Providing fellowship opportunities for members. FPC History Highlights: Celebrating 220 Years The first church building for our congregation was constructed in the early 1820 s. Located at what is now the corner of Sterling and Collett (the current site of First Citizen Bank), it was the first and only church in Morganton for many years. Before 1835, the structure also served as a courthouse and a public meeting house for the community. Various modifications were made to the structure over the years, with a major remodeling in The photo on the left was taken after the steeple was struck by lightning in This building was demolished in An education building behind the church was built in 1926, and later, an annex was added across the street.

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