| | Dear First Church Brooklyn Family, This icon brings me peace. The softness of the lines. The flow of the geometry. The abstraction and the materiality. The inviting darkness and the warming light. It says something calming to my spirit. I offer it to you in case it might be useful, because you deserve a space for peace, a rift in the torrent of tasks, a moment to ground yourself down into your roots. Sunday will be another moment, by the grace of God. We will remember our roots, we will worship the One who rooted us, and commune with our neighbors like trees do. And Rev. Dr. Cari Jackson will be with us! Service starts at 11 a.m., but Minister Rebecca Stevens-Walter is hosting Formation Station at 10 a.m., in case you want to try something new and creative! Yours in Christ, Conor |
 Rev. Dr. Cari Jackson is an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ, who has served as pastor of congregations in UCC and United Methodist Church and as interim pastor at First Presbyterian Church of Brooklyn. She is currently serving as director of spiritual care and activism for the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice. She is president of Excellent Way which integrates interspiritual wisdom for individual and organizational transformation. Dr. Cari holds a Ph.D. in Christian Social Ethics, Master of Divinity, Juris Doctor, and Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Sociology. She is the author of five books including The Gift to Listen, The Courage to Hear; Love Like You've Never Been Hurt; and For the Souls of Black Folks; and contributing author to Sisters in Mourning.Learn more at https://excellentway.life/ |
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| | | Saturday, October 8th 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM Peace Garden Cleanup Peace Garden Rain date October 14 Sunday, October 9th NOTE: You can find the Bulletin for Sunday's worship online here. 9:00 AM Choir Warm-Up and Rehearsal in the Sanctuary 9:30 AM Power Hour Adult Christian Education and Discussion Meeting ID: 853 2522 6456 9:45 AM Formation Station in the Gym and Youtube for more information contact Rebecca Stevens-Walter 10:20 AM Confirmation Class for more information contact Rebecca Stevens-Walter 11:00 AM Worship and Communion Rev. Dr. Cari Jackson, preaching Sermon Title: Don't Let Your Ego Block Your Healing Scripture: 2 Kings 5:1-3, 7-14; Luke 17:11-19 Worship with us in person, our website, or on our Facebook Page. Wednesday, October 12th 8:00AM - 9:00AM Men's Fellowship Park Plaza Restaurant; Cadman Plaza Book Discussion: "The Nation That Never Was" by Kermit Roosevelt III for more information contact Dave Ehlke |
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| | Worship Leaders Needed What we create together in worship on Sundays is food and drink for thirsty and hungry people. Thank you for saying yes to leading in worship and sharing your time and talent in this meaningful way. If you'd like to lead in the summer, we would love to welcome you. Please check out the link below and add your name. Worship Leaders – Sign up |
|  Welcome Team Update
Starting this week, masks will no longer be required indoors and we will no longer be checking vaccination cards at the door. However, please understand there are some who feel more comfortable continuing to wear their masks. Let your care for others be your guide as you choose. We recommend you stay home and worship with us from the virtual space when if you do not feel well. We will continue to have extra masks on hand in the narthex when you come in if you would prefer to wear one in the sanctuary. lWe will be leaving the pews on the outside aisles by the windows free for our more vulnerable members. Please be sensitive to cues when you go to greet or pass the peace to others. |
| Share in Our Ministry of Hospitality If you are already a regular attender, the Welcome Team invites you to share in our ministry of hospitality. It's simple but profound: whenever you greet people at the door before the service or help host fellowship hour afterwards, what your actions say to each person who walks into God's house is "you are home." Sign up for Welcome Team (greeting/ushering) here. You'll be contacted with full instructions prior to your "shift." Sign up to host Fellowship Hour as an individual or a committee here. Reimbursement is available for Fellowship Hour refreshments if needed. |
| Session Digests 2022 Dear Friends, We invite you to check out a summary of the most recent Session meetings for your reference and information. Please let us know if you have any questions, we are grateful for your interest and support. Thank you for being a part of the First Presbyterian Church of Brooklyn community. Current Ruling Elders: Jon Abernethy Diane Greene Zayn Silva Christina Adorno David Jones Emily Thomas Diana Lee Robert Thaxton-Stevenson Nate Dudley Joyce Waller Sarah Wyss Jenny Gage Dimitri Moise Dr. Clive Neil - Moderator Elder Barbara Cummings - Clerk |
| It's Our Bicentennial Year |
| The First Church Brooklyn Bicentennial planning committee is generating a range of ideas to celebrate the church's coming anniversary. Although the actual anniversary date was March 10, 2022, we will be celebrating our 200 years as a Brooklyn Heights institution throughout the March-December 2022 period. All congregation members are invited to participate in the planning and coordinating of activities -- so please jump in and join us! The Bicentennial Committee would especially like to hear from anyone who has an interest in being one of the readers for one of the ten (or so) video presentations of the church's history, to be made and shown between now and the end of 2022. Please email Mary Robinson. The time commitment would be an hourlong Zoom rehearsal on a weeknight with the other readers, and a 30 minute recording session of your segments at the church, probably on a Saturday. |
|  The First Presbyterian Church of Brooklyn is honored to welcome NYC Mayor Eric Adams!
The mayor is expected this Sunday, October 9th, at our 11 AM worship service. Mayor Adams will present the congregation with a proclamation recognizing FPC's 200th Anniversary. |
| GREEN-WOOD CEMETERY BECKONS! 
The First Church Bicentennial Committee is pleased to report that our Green-Wood Cemetery tour has been fully subscribed. The trolley used for the tour can accommodate 40 people and that many have registered for the tour taking place on October 16th. Given the enthusiastic response from our congregants, we are considering planning and conducting a similar tour of Green-Wood in 2023. |
| Food Pantry  Serving Thursday, 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM On Thursday, October 6th, our pantry served 138 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 |
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Please join in postcarding on this coming Sunday October 9 after services.
This is our effort to SAVE OUR FRAGILE DEMOCRACY‼️
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Please join us for the Peace Garden's Fall clean-up on Saturday, October 8, 2022 at 11:00 a.m. We will work on soil preparation for bulb planting, begin leaf clean-up and composting, as well as gardening plans for spring 2023. We will be working between 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. |
|  Men's Fellowship Book Discussion
The Men's group has resumed its breakfast meetings and book discussion each Wednesday at 8AM at Park Plaza Restaurant on Cadman St West in Brooklyn Heights. All men are welcome even if you are not reading the book or can only attend occasionally . We also discuss and try to solve the issues of today. Please contact Dave Ehlke if you have any questions. We are currently reading: The Nation That Never Was by Kermit Roosevelt III  Our idea of the Founders' America and its values is not true. We are not the heirs of the Founders, but we can be the heirs of Reconstruction and its vision for equality.
There's a common story we tell about America: that our fundamental values as a country were stated in the Declaration of Independence, fought for in the Revolution, and made law in the Constitution. But, with the country increasingly divided, this story isn't working for us anymore—what's more, it's not even true. As Kermit Roosevelt argues in this eye-opening reinterpretation of the American story, our fundamental values, particularly equality, are not part of the vision of the Founders. Instead, they were stated in Lincoln's Gettysburg Address and were the hope of Reconstruction, when it was possible to envision the emergence of the nation committed to liberty and equality. |
| Congregation and Community News |
| Sunday October 2nd Homecoming 
It was a true pleasure to have Rev. Dr. Paul Smith back at First Church Brooklyn
for our homecoming service.
If you would like to hear his sermon please click here.
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| Women's Potluck The women of First Church Brooklyn gathered together in the Elliot Room to share a meal and refreshments and talked about life and loss. 
They discussed changing the meetings from the last Friday of the month to the third Friday of the month due to upcoming holiday schedules. They will meet again in the Elliot room on October 21st at 6:30PM. For more information please contact the church office. |
| STAY CONNECTED TO THE PRESBYTERY OF NEW YORK CITY First Church Brooklyn Community: Stay connected with the latest news and opportunities in and around the presbytery by subscribing to Happenings In & Around the Presbytery, the Presbytery's electronic newsletter. Stay updated and apprised of Presbyterian events, resources, grants, and opportunities. Church members can fill out the contact information form so that their email addresses can be added to the subscribers list. Click here for the Contact Information Form. Once completed return the form to the presbytery office or email it to Yzette Swavy-Lipton. |
| 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 our website 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 scan the QR code at the right or text the word DEVOTIONAL to 718-689-6171 to sign up. |
| A full calendar of church events can be found on the church website. |
| This week's eNewsletter was edited by Chi Ling Moy. Photos provided by Christina Adorno
and Jim Johnson. |
| 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. 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. |
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