| | | Greetings First Church Family and Friends, As the saying goes, God does not give us more than we can bear. Do you believe that? In conversation with many of you, this moment feels like too much to bear. Last week, I taught the remedy for these times to a group of rabbis in training. It was the saddest day of the Jewish calendar, Tisha B'av, and we talked about lament. For years, T'ruah, has brought me in to help their future leaders think about what it means to care for themselves even as they are leading change and justice in a world that is falling apart. From our Christian faith tradition, rooted in Judaism, we are invited to find our care in lament. Taking the darkness seriously, telling the truth about what frightens and angers us is a necessary starting point for the tending of our own souls and the wellbeing of our activism. I look forward to sharing more with you in worship. See you Sunday at 10:00 am. You are loved, |
| 
|
|
| | | |
Please be advised, Sunday worship will begin at 10 AM until September 6th. |
| Sunday, August 9th NOTE: You can find the Bulletin for Sunday's worship here. 9:00AM New Members Gathering Zoom: 798 607 3225 Worship Sermon Title: "More Than We Can Bear" Worship online at fpc.church or Facebook Wednesday, August 12th 7:30 AM - 8:30 AM Men's Fellowship Book Discussion Book: Begin Again: James Baldwin's America and Its Urgent Lessons for Our Own by Eddie S. Glaude Jr. For Zoom info contact Adam Wright Thursday, August 13th 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM Food Pantry For information on how to volunteer contact the church office 7:00 PM- 8:15 PM Youthful Fellowship Zoom: 859 7048 1392 |
|
|
| | Congregation and Community News |
| New Member Gatherings – Beginning this Sunday at 9 AM We will begin with the sharing of our personal faith stories, continue August 16th with basic church history and theology, and conclude on Sunday, August 23rd when membership candidates meet our Ruling Elders. You are loved, Pastor Adriene
"One of the most counter-cultural things you can do is become an engaged member of a faithful local church." Read more about that at https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/why-join-a-church
|
| Prayer Requests "This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us." (1 John 5:14 NIV) Our world is changing daily, and yet we still believe in the power of prayer. We still desire to pray with and for our community. If you have a prayer request – a joy or a concern, please send your prayers to us at info@firstchurchbrooklyn.org. We will add prayers to our worship bulletin each week and keep your prayers in our hearts and on our lips for the week to come. |
| Pastoring During Protest Protests have risen across the cities of America and the world, declaring "there's no peace without justice," and saying the names of ones murdered. When reading these news stories, I heard the Pentecost story in a new light, a group of 120, mouths lit by the fire of the Holy Spirit, going out into the street, disrupting a national holiday, saying the name of Jesus, who was unjustly killed not more than 50 days ago in those very streets. I invited three pastoral leaders to share their perception of these protests and the complexity of leading a congregation in a city during protests and a pandemic. They lead multi-racial congregations, and in America, that means, as Korie Little-Edwards a sociologist says, dealing with racial justice. They are pastors who are always navigating the complex terrain of race. By the end of my time with them, I arrived at a place I didn't expect. They are among the most important theological and pastoral voices to listen to. -- Samuel Son, Manager of Diversity and Reconciliation at Presbyterian Mission Agency (He/Him/His) Hear "Pastoring During Protest":
https://soundcloud.com/user-256750338/pastoring-during-protest |
| Project Connect Men and women in prisons can go for years, even decades without any contact from the outside. Through Project Connect they can reach out to request letters and visits This program is run by the Church of Gethsemane and we are their partners. Therefore I am asking you to write a couple of lines of hope and encouragement and email them to me (sarahjwyss@gmail.com). I will cut and paste them into a letter that will be photocopied and sent to many people. Anything is appreciated, a couple of lines of poetry, a Bible verse, or simply some words of hope and encouragement. Our letters mean a lot to people and particularly now when other contact with the outside world is limited. -- Sarah Wyss |
| Standing Against White Supremacy and Systemic Racism The Brooklyn Heights Interfaith Clergy Association (our own Rev. Thorne is a co-president) has authored a statement condemning white supremacy and systemic racism. A recent article in the Brooklyn Eagle quotes part of the statement: "As a multi-faith group we affirm that every person is made in the divine image and possesses inherent dignity and worth. The recent death of George Floyd as a result of police brutality manifests the evils of white supremacy and systemic racism. We condemn these and all forms of racial violence." Read the full statement here, and see the article in the Eagle here. |
| 
Food Pantry 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM On Thursday, August 6th, our pantry served 74 clients with the help of 9 volunteers. We will maintain the bins on the church steps to support the food insecure and the homeless population who have benefitted from the offering. If you need food, please help yourself. If you have food to share, thank you for dropping off. Please contact the church office to inquire about volunteering. PLEASE DO NOT ARRIVE UNSCHEDULED as we must manage the number of personel on site. Can't make it to the First Church Brooklyn? Text FOOD to 877-877. No questions asked, food for kids. Use your zip code to see if there is food available in your area. |
| Worship service video is streamed live over the internet. We provide the worship bulletin on the website so that you can follow along. Tune in to worship at 10:00 AM Eastern time between July 4th and Labor Day. If you have access to a screen of any size, try our Video LIVE Stream on fpc.church and our Facebook page. Want to hear a Sermon again? We have a podcast of Sermon audio! Click the "Sermon Podcast" icon, below, to subscribe. |
| Reminders and Looking Ahead |
| Men's Fellowship Book Discussion 
FPC Men's Group enjoying a recent discussion via Zoom FPC Men's Group Meets virtually each Wednesday from 7:30 AM to 8:30 AM to discuss what we are reading and, if time allows, solve as many of the world's problems as possible. Reading Now  Begin Again: James Baldwin's Americaand Its Urgent Lessons for Our Own
by Eddie S. Glaude Jr. [From the publisher] "James Baldwin grew disillusioned by the failure of the civil rights movement to force America to confront its lies about race. In our own moment, when that confrontation feels more urgently needed than ever, what can we learn from his struggle?" If interested in joining the Zoom meeting discussion, please contact Adam Wright to get the Zoom invite. |
| Fill Out Your Census Form Today Only 50% of Brooklyn has been counted! The census impacts our number of congressional representatives. The results will show where communities need new schools, new clinics, new roads, and more services for families, older adults, and children. The results will also inform how hundreds of billions of dollars in federal funding are allocated to more than 100 programs, including Medicaid, Head Start, block grants for community mental health services, and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as SNAP. Please, fill out your census form today. #MakeBrooklynCount Watch a "Faith-Based Audience Video" produced by the U.S. Censure Bureau: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izJPdJlo9Y0 |
| Would you like to help with worship in the fall? September — We will be blessing animals and celebrating all God's furry, scaly, feathered friends. Upload a photo of you and your pet to the link below and we will "see you" in worship on September 13th. Deadline to submit photos is August 15th. Pets: https://www.icloud.com/iclouddrive/0iulOAuOOWJqabNx4Y7jVIC2w#Pets October — We will celebrate World Communion Sunday with God's people all over the world. What is communion for you? What are the holy and sacred meals that you make and enjoy? Do they happen at a table? On the couch? On the go? Send us your photos and let's enjoy the many ways our community understands breaking bread and sharing communion. Deadline to submit photos is August 15th. https://www.icloud.com/iclouddrive/0t5AgepvMrBb8g9_ldJdvjJRQ#Pictures_of_communion Always — We will be acknowledging, praying for, and protesting Black and Brown lives lost to police violence. With all the many ways there are to protest, what does protest look like to you? Send us your photos, and please be mindful of those around you. Seek permission before photographing anyone, and remember that cameras at solemn events like memorial services are not appropriate. Deadline to submit photos is August 15th. Protest: https://www.icloud.com/iclouddrive/0eSZw2ySILEP2LAQt81NHGviA#People_at_Protest David Sutton, a member of our faith community, is an award-winning creator/director. He is working with our worship team to bring your presence and visual story to worship. Thank you for contacting David with any questions or problems and thank you for helping us tell the good news story of our faith. Pastor Adriene |
| Wednesday "Flash" Text Devotionals Sometimes the weeks are long, right? Our Wednesday morning "flash" text devotional is meant to help give you a boost in the middle of the week. Simply Text the word DEVOTIONAL to 66599 to sign up. Every Wednesday, a super-short, thought-provoking piece will be texted to you - written by a different First Church member each week! A history of the devotionals can be found here, also on Twitter and Facebook. |
| A full calendar of church events can be found on the church website. |
| This week's eNewsletter was edited by Christina Adorno. |
| Online Donations: Set up a recurring gift to the church through a secure online account. To set up an account or to edit an existing gift, go to First Presbyterian Church's website. A simple one-time gift can be made on fpc.church. Flower Donations. We welcome flower donations of $30 or more in memory or in honor of friends and loved ones. Call Annie Solages in the Church office at 718-624-3770 or see Barbara Cummings during fellowship hour on Sundays. Appointments with Ministry Staff may be arranged by calling the Church at 718-624-3770, or via email. |
|
| |
|
No comments:
Post a Comment