| | | Zarmina Kakar a women's rights activist cry during an interview with The Associated Press in Kabul, Afghanistan, Friday, Aug. 13, 2021. Kakar was a year old when the Taliban entered Kabul the first time in 1996, and recalled a time when her mother took her out to buy her ice cream, back when the Taliban ruled. Her mother was whipped by a Taliban fighter for revealing her face for a couple of minutes. "Today again, I feel that if Taliban come to power, we will return back to the same dark days," she said.(AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib) |
| Greetings First Church Brooklyn Family and Friends, It seems there is always something to weep about. Open the paper (do people still open papers?!), listen to the news, catch up with your neighbors, and there is always something to weep about.
As we continue our series on the Book of Revelation, we find plenty to weep about in John's time too, and there is God's promise to wipe away every tear. There is God's promise of a new city and most hopeful to me, new inhabitants of the new city. At the end of the story, humanity is made new – finally able to bear the image of God to the world. That's the ending we long for, pray for, give our best effort.
See you in the virtual space, Sunday at 10:00 am. You are loved, |
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| Pastor Adriene begins her rest and renewal leave on August 23rd and will be back in the pulpit September 19th. Please contact the church office with any URGENT needs. |
| Starting Sunday July 4th, we have switched to our summer worship time of 10:00 AM. |
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| | | | Sunday, August 22nd NOTE: You can find the Bulletin for Sunday's worship online here. 10:00 AM Worship 8:00 AM - 9:00 AM Men's Fellowship Book Discussion Discussion of Malcolm Gladwell's "The Bomber Mafia: A Dream, a Temptation, and the Longest Night of the Second World War" Join us in person at Park Plaza Diner Thursday, August 26th 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM Food Pantry For information on how to volunteer contact the church office |
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On August 14th, 2021 the people of Ayiti/Haiti experienced another devastating earthquake that has left more than 1,200 dead and hundreds of thousands injured. The people of Ayiti deserve not only our prayers and love, but our solidarity. Instead, we are witnessing what we have seen many times before, disaster capitalists and proponents of US imperialism swarming, prioritizing the consolidation of profit and power over the needs of the people. The lack of action to defend Black Lives in Ayiti/Haiti is yet another reminder of why we say Black Lives Matter. The solution? Solidarity in practice. Solidarity rooted in an understanding that now more than ever, Black people everywhere must show up for our relatives in Ayiti/Haiti. We have learned from survivors of man-made climate disasters here in the United States, that we must not only support the immediate needs of the Haitian people, we must also commit to their long term needs and their right to be self-determined. The Haitian people are part of a powerful legacy of resistance, courage and dedication. We send our love to our people there and call for global Black solidarity. Our thoughts are with all those who lost their lives, all those waiting to be found and all those who are experiencing the ravages of this devastating earthquake. In a world where white supremacy still reigns, and the vestiges of colonialism palpable, we must come together for our people. Below is a list of trusted comrades and organizations either based in Ayiti or connected with Ayiti with deep roots and integrity. Please prioritize supporting these organizations instead of giving to organizations with a track record of harm (ex: Red Cross, Clinton Foundation, etc). Give deeply and spread the word to support and amplify the lifesaving work of these organizations. Donate DIRECTLY to Haitian Led Organizations: U.S. Black Led Orgs in Solidarity Providing Support: Other Orgs helping to move resources to local Haitian orgs: Local Ayiti Orgs to Know, Follow, Support and Build with: ● Tet Kole Ti Peyizan Ayisyen / Head Together Small Producers of Haiti (Tet Kole)(donations via Grassroots International) |
| Congregation and Community News |
| In addition to Haiti, a member reminds us to pray for Afghanistan and Cuba. "Only God can help as both situations are so complex and destructive for the innocents." |
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I had tea this week with Rev. Diane Lacey, senior pastor of The Church of Gethsemane. We parter with Rev. Lacey and her church in our prison ministry and she wanted you all to know how much she loves you and misses you. Please keep her, Minister Chibueze Okorie, and the entire Gethsemane community and extended family in your prayers. We pray for a day when we can return to visiting our incarcerated siblings and a day when all God's people are free. |
| 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. |
| 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).
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Food Pantry Serving Thursday, 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM On Thursday, August 19th, our pantry served 134 clients with the help of 11 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. |
| To view the survey, please click the photo above or click here. |
| Reminders and Looking Ahead |
| Men's Fellowship Book Discussion 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 Bomber Mafia: A Dream, a Temptation, and the Longest Night of the Second World War by Malcolm Gladwell  In The Bomber Mafia, Malcolm Gladwell weaves together the stories of a Dutch genius and his homemade computer, a band of brothers in central Alabama, a British psychopath, and pyromaniacal chemists at Harvard to examine one of the greatest moral challenges in modern American history.
Most military thinkers in the years leading up to World War II saw the airplane as an afterthought. But a small band of idealistic strategists, the "Bomber Mafia," asked: What if precision bombing could cripple the enemy and make war far less lethal?
In contrast, the bombing of Tokyo on the deadliest night of the war was the brainchild of General Curtis LeMay, whose brutal pragmatism and scorched-earth tactics in Japan cost thousands of civilian lives, but may have spared even more by averting a planned US invasion. In The Bomber Mafia, Gladwell asks, "Was it worth it?"
Things might have gone differently had LeMay's predecessor, General Haywood Hansell, remained in charge. Hansell believed in precision bombing, but when he and Curtis LeMay squared off for a leadership handover in the jungles of Guam, LeMay emerged victorious, leading to the darkest night of World War II. The Bomber Mafia is a riveting tale of persistence, innovation, and the incalculable wages of war.
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| 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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