| | | Greetings First Church Brooklyn Family and Friends, If you've been with our faith community for any length of time, you know that we regularly talk about death. You've probably heard my pop's joke that "none of us are getting out of here alive." And if you could bear it, you may have joined the ½ dozen members who've talked to me about your end of life plan.
This is my regular invitation to each of you 18 and older to start planning for end of life. Only 42 percent of U.S. adults currently have estate planning documents such as a will or living trust. For those with children under the age of 18, the figure is even lower, with just 36 percent having an end-of-life plan in place. Last year, I shared an article that said hospitals were being upended not only by Covid-19 but by people who had failed to make plans for the end of their lives. One blessing, one gift we can give to the people we love is an end of life plan. Now is the time to make these important decisions, to visit Prepare for Your Care and share your plan with those who love you. You can also visit The Conversation Project and find help in planning your entire funeral.
As followers of Jesus, we acknowledge that he leaves the ones he loves. Every one of us will leave the ones we love someday, and now is the time to put a plan on paper and make it known. Thank you for giving this your prayerful consideration and for letting me know how I can support your effort. You are loved, |
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| Starting Sunday July 4th, we have switched to our summer worship time of 10:00 AM. |
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| | | | Sunday, July 18th NOTE: You can find the Bulletin for Sunday's worship online here. 10:00 AM 8:00 AM - 9:00 AM Men's Fellowship Book Discussion Discussion of David Brooks' The Second Mountain: The Quest for a Moral Life Join us in person at Park Plaza Diner Thursday, July 22nd 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM Food Pantry For information on how to volunteer contact the church office |
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| | Congregation and Community News |
| Free Summer Meals This summer, any New Yorker can get free "grab & go" meals across the city Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.! - No registration, documentation, or ID is required to receive a free breakfast or lunch.
- Vegetarian meals are available at all locations.
- Kosher and Halal meals are available at select locations
- All meals are Grab and Go, which means they cannot be consumed on site.
- To find locations, dates, and times near you, visit schools.nyc.gov/summermeals. You can also get information on summer meals by calling 311 or texting "NYCMEALS" to 877-877 (text messaging and data rates may apply).
- Please note that there will be no service Tuesday, July 20 (Eid-ul-Adha)
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| Presbyterian Week of Action: August 23-29 
This year's theme is Shades of Oppression, Resistance, & Liberation. The week's events and theme are crafted to bring attention and action to the plight of those suffering from differing forms of oppressive situations. The foci for the week will be: Monday - International Tuesday – Plight of Poverty Wednesday- LGBTQIA Resilience Thursday - Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women Friday – AAPI Hate Saturday – Black Lives Matter (in conjunction with Giving 828) Sunday - Gun Violence/Mass Shootings The goal this year is to be even more inclusive of the wider denomination in the planning process as well as the implementation. Events will be both virtual and potentially in person. The Week of Action has at its core the idea of being a visible arm of justice in our communities around the denomination as we stand on the foundations of both Matthew 25 and the Hands & Feet Initiative. |
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Food Pantry Serving Thursday, 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM On Thursday, July 15th, our pantry served 156 clients with the help of 9 volunteers. We are maintaining food bins and a community fridge at the church to provide round the clock support to the food insecure and unhoused. If you need food, please help yourself. If you have food to share, thank you for dropping off. Volunteers are welcome to arrive on Thursdays between 9:00-11:00 am to serve in the pantry. No advanced notice required. Please contact the church office to inquire about volunteering. We look forward to serving with you. Jane Woland Pantry Coordinator |
| 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. If you have access to a screen of any size, try our Video LIVE Stream on firstchurchbrooklyn.org/watch-listen/ 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. |
| Work began this month on our priceless stained glass windows! We raised money in 2019 for this important effort and received a grant from The New York Landmarks Conservancy that will help us cover the expense. Also, initial work has begun to make the floor in our historic sanctuary safer and more versatile. We can't wait to welcome you back soon. -Pastor Adriene 
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| Reminders and Looking Ahead |
| Save the Date! 
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| Men's Fellowship Book Discussion 
FPC Men's Group enjoying a recent discussion via Zoom First Church's Men's Group meet in person every Wednesday morning from 8:00 AM - 9:00 AM. They gather at Park Plaza Diner, 220 Cadman Plaza West where they will discuss what they are reading and, if time allows, solve as many of the world's problems as possible. We are currently discussing: 
The Second Mountain: The Quest for a Moral Life In The Second Mountain, David Brooks explores the four commitments that define a life of meaning and purpose: to a spouse and family, to a vocation, to a philosophy or faith, and to a community. Our personal fulfillment depends on how well we choose and execute these commitments. Brooks looks at a range of people who have lived joyous, committed lives, and who have embraced the necessity and beauty of dependence. He gathers their wisdom on how to choose a partner, how to pick a vocation, how to live out a philosophy, and how we can begin to integrate our commitments into one overriding purpose.
In short, this book is meant to help us all lead more meaningful lives. But it's also a provocative social commentary. We live in a society, Brooks argues, that celebrates freedom, that tells us to be true to ourselves, at the expense of surrendering to a cause, rooting ourselves in a neighborhood, binding ourselves to others by social solidarity and love. We have taken individualism to the extreme—and in the process we have torn the social fabric in a thousand different ways. The path to repair is through making deeper commitments. In The Second Mountain, Brooks shows what can happen when we put commitment-making at the center of our lives. |
| 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. |
| 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. A history of the devotionals can be found here, Twitter and Facebook. |
| A full calendar of church events can be found on the church website. |
| This week's eNewsletter was edited by Mark Elsenheimer. |
| 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 Church Brooklyn's website. Appointments with Ministry Staff may be arranged by calling the Church at 718-624-3770, or via email. |
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