| | | What is Advent All About? |
| Greetings First Church Brooklyn Community! We are so excited to welcome our children, youth, and families to preach this final Sunday of Advent – the Sunday of LOVE. It is always a gift when our young people and families minister to us, and we have planned extra special music to support their extra special offering. Church, in these Advent days, where we seek the light in the darkness, it can still feel like the world is ending. Some of us have recently lost loved ones. The end of the pandemic we had expected has not come. We are mourning 800,000 lost to Covid. This poem from Jan Richardson has been a comfort to me in these dark Advent days. I hope it will comfort you. It holds the gritty real against the maniacal happiness this season can demand. The world is always ending, church…and it is always beginning again. This is our Advent hope, peace, joy, love. You are loved, |
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| Welcome Team Update This week, a member who attended in-person worship this past Sunday tested positive for Covid after starting to experience cold symptoms on Monday morning. Because a person can be contagious as many as three days prior to developing signs of an infection, according to the CDC, the team notified everyone who had been in attendance, advising them to monitor their own health carefully. While this news may feel scary to some, remember that it's still the first reported case in more than 10 weeks since our in-person services resumed--a time period in which the daily new case average in NYC has approximately doubled. This means that the steps we are taking as individuals--including wearing masks, socially distancing, and getting vaccinated to the full extent of our eligibility--are working to keep our community safe, thanks be to God. As we enter into the winter and the holiday travel period, please be mindful of the role you play in helping keep others around you safe. If you're not fully vaccinated (and boosted if you're eligible) yet, go get that done. If you'd like to get tested before you gather with friends and family but have limited mobility, another member shared this link as a source of free in-home tests. And of course, when it comes to Sunday attendance, if you aren't feeling well, please stay home and worship with us in the virtual space until you recover. As always, you can register in advance for next Sunday's service on the First Church Brooklyn website or at or at register.fpc.church. We look forward to seeing you there. |
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| | | | Sunday, December 19th NOTE: You can find the Bulletin for Sunday's worship online here. 9:30 AM Power Hour Bible Study and Discussion 10:00 AM - 10:30 AM Youth Choir On Zoom 10:30 AM - 11:00 AM Kid's Time In the Peace Garden 11:00 AM Worship - Christmas Pageant FPC children, youth, and families preaching Sermon: "What is Christmas All About?" Scripture: Psalm 130:5-8 and John 1:1-18 Wednesday, December 22nd 8:00 AM - 9:00 AM Men's Fellowship Book Discussion Discussion of Zealot: The Life and Times
of Jesus of Nazareth. Join us in person at Park Plaza Diner Thursday, December 23rd 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM Food Pantry For information on how to volunteer contact
the church office |
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| | CHRISTMAS WORSHIP AT FIRST CHURCH BROOKLYN Friday, December 24th – 7:00 pm (in-person and multi access)
Sunday, December 26th – 11:00 am Church elders hosting in the sanctuary (in-person and multi access)
Sunday, January 2nd – 11:00 am Church elders hosting in the sanctuary (in-person and multi access) |
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We are glad to report that 51 individuals and households have submitted an estimate of giving card bringing our total to $198,200. We thank you for your support. Help us reach our goal of $350,000 for our 2022 Budget. If you haven't submitted your 2022 Estimate of Giving. Please do so today! Pick up your green estimate of giving card from a pew pocket or in the Narthex, drop it in the offering lockboxes or mail it to the church office. You can also submit your card by going to www.firstchurchbrooklyn.org GIVE page. Email to info@firstchurchbrooklyn.org. Your gifts allow us to do the work of First Church. |
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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. |
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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 
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| First Church Toy Drive for the Eastern Farm Workers Association 
Victor, after helping us to pack up the car from in front of the Church. 
Mary, helping to unload the car once we had arrived at the office of the EFWA in Bellport, LI. 
Minnie, Joel, and Mary bring toys to the collection room, where donations from other resources have been collected. 
The gifts are then sorted in a second room, so that each child will receive two toys 
The toys are sorted sorted, according to the child's age. 
In a third room the toys are then bagged with family's name, preparatory to their being distributed to the parents of the designated children. This room will soon be completely filled with 220 bags, serving each of the 220 families who are members of the EFWA. The many gifts donated by First Church included stuffed toys, art supplies, soccer balls, cars and trucks, and a wide variety of books. However, the above is only a sketch of the EFWA's hard work in bringing joy to our neighbors and their children on Eastern Long Island. Donated toiletries were also included in our delivery this week. |
| White Rose Cuba Mission News - IFCO/Pastors for Peace just returned from taking 75 people, and almost 3 tons of medicine, to Cuba with their 31st Friendshipment Caravan. But, while they were there, the US government designated Cuba as a "Concern for lack of Religious Freedom", another way of tightening the Blockade. Because of the threat of economic sanctions on international banks, FPC (and the rest of the US religious community) have not been able to get mission funds to our sister churches in Cuba. Our Senior Meals program with La Fernanda is in jeopardy. Stay tuned for actions you can do to respond to these lies.
- A letter to President Biden about these punitive measures has been signed on by 101 members of the House of Representatives, including 10 from New York. Contact your own Rep to ask them to support this effort or thank them for signing. (Congressional switchboard 202-224-3121.) Contact Emily Thomas 347-262-6466 or Thomas@igc.org for more information and details, and a copy of the letter.
- Our own mission trip is being planned for May, 2022. Contact Richard and Diane Greene for more details: Rtgreene2@aol.com. And put May 7 on your calendar for the big fund raising party for our sister church projects in Cuba.
- At 11:00 on Saturday, Dec 11, there will be a zoom conversation about Liberation Theology in Cuba and in the US. Click this link to register or email for a link to the recording later.
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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 condition, 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, December 16th, our pantry served 131 clients with the help of 17 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 |
Christmas Poinsettias 
If you wish to provide a poinsettia to remember or honor your loved ones, please fill out the Christmas poinsettia form found in the bulletin and the narthex or email: info@firstchurchbrooklyn.org. Put your name, the amount you wish to give and the name of the person or persons you wish to remember or honor. Return to the church office
No Later Than Sunday December 19. |
| Conversations on Race - Third Tuesday, December 21st 6:30PM-7:30PM Dear First Church Brooklyn Community, We hope you will join our partners at Christ Church United Methodist Church of NYC as we continue our collaboration with them and with St. Philip's Episcopal Church. Please see the Christ Church web-site for the full list of readings for this cycle. All are welcome! 
Each month the communities of Christ Church, both on Park Avenue and in the Heights, gather with other area churches for an open and honest conversation about race and race relations. The sessions usually center on a book from an author who deals with these issues, such as Dr. Jennifer Harvey, Zora Neal Hurston, James Baldwin, Alice Walker, etc. We hope that this space will provide opportunities to learn from each other and push us closer to our mission of loving God and neighbor. December's Selection: Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man 
CLICK HERE for more information on the 2021-2022 reading list or contact Rev. Dr. Violet Lee for more information. CLICK HERE TO JOIN THE CALL CLICK HERE TO CALL IN BY PHONE PURCHASE THE BOOK |
| 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. |
|  Clark Street Station Elevator Work
Subway service will bypass the station in both directions 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. |
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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. We ask for prayer for our brethren who are incarcerated and their families. We ask for prayer for our partner, GETHSEMANE CHURCH ministers and congregants. Prayers for Jacob Ross who is presently incarcerated in North Carolina. Prayers for the memory and family of William Brown - the 16th in-custody death this year at Rikers Island. Prayers for a friend of ours in Rikers who said there are no masks available in his dormitory, and three people across the hall from them have tested positive. |
| 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 a piece of inspiration or scripture meant to help give you a boost in the middle of the week. Simply Text the word DEVOTIONAL to 66599 to sign up. |
| A full calendar of church events can be found on the church website. |
| This week's eNewsletter was edited by Mark Elsenheimer. EFWA Toy Drive photos provided by Erik Brogger. |
| 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. |
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