| | | Greetings First Church Brooklyn Community, Clocks are changing this Sunday – turning back so we all get an extra hour of time. But you might need that extra hour to get to church…the NYC Marathon happens this Sunday and the Clark Street train station will be closed too! The electoral landscape of NYC is changing – we've elected our second Black mayor in the city's history. But our city and country continue to repeat old patterns that criminalize the poor and ignore the last, least, and left out. We are changing – neither we nor our church are what we were in 2020. Like Elijah in Sunday's story, it can feel challenging to go on in our own strength, challenging to keep going amid all that is different. Sunday's sermon will make spacious room for everything that has shifted in our lives. For the people we've lost and will remember this All-Saint's Sunday. For the despair and fatigue we may be experiencing with school and offices reopening. For the future with its uncertainty. Despite the changes we've experienced, God's love and care for us have not changed. See you Sunday. You are loved, |
| 
|
| LISTEN to How to Handle Change. Change is the only certainty in life. We may desperately want to change ourselves and our surroundings, or we may fear the disruption and distress some changes bring. Dr Laurie Santos talks to change expert Dr Maya Shankar (host of A Slight Change of Plans) about how we can put change in perspective and learn to fear it less; and also, how we can bring about far greater changes in ourselves than we ever thought possible. |
| Welcome Team Update The FPC Welcome Team has protocols in place to help keep anyone who chooses to worship with us in person safe. - You will have to register upon your arrival, but can save time by doing so in advance via the link on the church website or at register.fpc.org.
- During the service, congregants remain socially distanced when they exchange signs of peace, and offerings are collected electronically or via dropboxes by the exits rather than a passed plate. Communion and a recently reinstated Fellowship Hour take place outside in the Peace Garden.
- Zero COVID infections have been reported by anyone following their in-person worship attendance this past week or any of the previous weeks dating back to the beginning of September when the earliest stages of reopening began. Thanks be to God!
- In Matthew 18:20, Jesus tells us that wherever 2 or 3 are gathered in his name, he will be found. Now more than ever, so many people are in need--WE are in need--of God's extravagant welcome and love. If you're reading this newsletter right now, chances are that you experienced that need being met at FPC in "the before times." And you know what? Our community is not the same without you in the here and now! Come gather with us!
|
|
| | | | Remember to "Fall Back" your clocks an hour
in observance of Daylight Savings Sunday, November 7th NOTE: You can find the Bulletin for Sunday's worship online here. 9:00 AM Power Hour Bible Study and Discussion 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM Senior Youth Group Breakfast Recommended for ages 14-18; Breakfast provided For more information contact Rebecca
rstevenswalter@firstchurchbrooklyn.org 10:00 AM Children's Choir In the Thurman and Elliott Rooms 10:30 AM Kid's Time in the Peace Garden Communion Sunday 11:00 AM Worship Pastor Adriene preaching Men's Fellowship Book Discussion Discussion of Zealot: The Life and Times
of Jesus of Nazareth. Join us in person at Park Plaza Diner 7:00 PM - 8:15 PM Fall Bible Study With Hebrew Scholar Conor Foley Contact the church office for the Zoom link Thursday, November 11th 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM Food Pantry For information on how to volunteer contact
the church office |
|
|
| | 
Due to the ongoing Covid concerns, we are encouraging all those who wish to worship in person in the sanctuary to please register here.
Pre-registration will help the Welcome Team with logistics and contact tracing If you are unable to pre-register, no worries! There will be greeters at the front door who will take your contact information for contact tracing purposes. If you are feeling under the weather, we ask that you stay home and worship online with us on our website or Facebook page. |
| 
Regardless of vaccination status, everyone entering the church building is required to wear a mask. Masks must completely cover the nose and mouth, and must remain in place throughout the worship service and/or while in the building. |
| Children Youth and Families |
| CYF Calendar Magnets still available Contact the church office to get yours today 
|
| Dispatch from Rikers Island 
The following article, from The Marshall Project, vividly describes the ongoing situation at Rikers Island. It highlights the reasons FPCB signed on about five years ago as a partner in support of the "Close Rikers, Build Communities" campaign. https://www.themarshallproject.org/2021/10/05/dispatch-from-deadly-rikers-island-it-looks-like-a-slave-ship-in-there We now have a window of opportunity to see this system completely reformed. The City is obligated to basically recreate our criminal justice system by 2027. Please reach out to Jane Ehlke, through the church office, if you would like more information and/or to participate in any of the related efforts. |
| 
2022 MISSION TRIP TO CUBA:
First Church's White Rose Ministry is in the early stages of planning a mission trip to Cuba during May of 2022. Needless to say, a number of conditions…both health-related and political…must be met before such a trip can take place. However, we are adamant and excited about extending support to our our brothers and sisters in Cuba through our presence.
Members of First Church who are interested in becoming part of the mission group should contact Rich Greene for additional information.
White Rose looks forward to hearing from you. |
| Food Pantry  Serving Thursday, 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM On Thursday, November 4th, our pantry served 123 clients with the help of 8 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 |
| Congregation and Community News |
|  Clark Street Station Elevator Work to begin Nov. 1
Subway service will bypass the station in both directions from Wednesday, Nov. 3, 2021 until spring 2022 in order to replace all three existing elevators. Please use nearby stations, including the High Street  station located north three blocks and through a walkway to Cadman Plaza, or the Borough Hall-Court Street  subway complex, located two to three blocks south and one to two blocks east, on Montague Street between Clinton and Court Streets. From the Clark Street station, these alternative stations can be reached via the B25 bus. |
|  |
| 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: Zealot by Reza Aslan
Two thousand years ago, an itinerant Jewish preacher
walked across the Galilee, gathering followers to establish what he called the "Kingdom of God." The revolutionary movement he launched was so threatening to the established order that he was executed as a state criminal. Within decades after his death, his followers would call him God. Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth yields a fresh perspective on one of the greatest stories ever told even as it affirms the radical and transformative nature of Jesus' life and mission. |
| 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. |
| 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 11:00 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. |
| 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 full calendar of church events can be found on the church website. |
| This week's eNewsletter was edited by Chi Ling Moy. |
| Pre-Registration: Due to Covid concerns, the Welcome Team as asking congregants to pre-register their attendance for Sunday services. To register, click here. 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. |
|
| |
|
No comments:
Post a Comment