| | Dear First Church Brooklyn Family, I'm writing this on my 28th birthday. I'm looking out into the early morning at skeletal trees grasping across the sky toward a weathered crucifix, thinking of this poem which is an expression of a deep ache I have — one especially acute as I try to gather myself toward another year.
"Not that I want to be a god or a hero. Just to change into a tree, grow for ages, not hurt anyone." - Czeslaw Milosz
We have so much to look forward to as we grow together. I'm deeply encouraged by the news that Rev. Danila Noble will be joining us! Her wisdom, leadership, warmth and compassion will guide us through a season of deepening our roots into the soil of the Spirit and our own unique tradition. I know we will bear even sweeter fruit because of her ministry.
In the barely nearer term, we also look forward to Jesus's advent, and Christmas. This week we'll be considering joy together, and the children will lead! The profoundly gifted Kelly Strandemo has written the pageant, and the kids will give us a Sunday to remember, I'm sure! Come as you are.
Minister Conor Foley |
 We thank you for submitting an estimate of giving in support of FPC and its mission. As of last week, we have received 56% of our 2024 pledge goal. We are still accepting pledge commitments for 2024. Making a pledge is important because it helps those responsible for putting our church budget together to do so wisely. It is also an expression of trust that God will meet our needs. As a community, we've witnessed God's abundant grace in so many ways, including our Outreach Minister Conor Foley's prophetic teaching from the pulpit, energetic new members (and so many beautiful babies!), and new and existing ministries and missions, all of which are the heritage and future of FPC. In addition, we are very excited to welcome our new Interim Pastor, Rev. Dr. Danila Corinne Noble, who will start on January 1, 2024. If you haven't already done so, please fill out a pledge card located in the pews, or submit your pledge online at www.firstchurchbrooklyn.org under Make a Pledge. No gift is too small. |
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Third Sunday of Advent 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 - 10:30 AM Power Hour Adult Christian Education and Discussion via Zoom 11:00 AM Worship Service "Tell me Again"
A Christmas Pageant for FPC Brooklyn
By: Kelly Strandemo Following Worship Queery Beloved Fellowship Gather at the front of the sanctuary after service Final Chance this Sunday! First Presbyterian Holiday Bazaar 2023 Following Worship in the Elliott Room during
and after Fellowship Hour Wednesday, December 20th 8:00 AM - 9:00 AM Men's Fellowship for more information contact Dave Ehlke 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM Needlework Group for more information contact the church office
6:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Homeless Street Ministry Peace Garden 7:00 PM Night Prayer Sanctuary |
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| | Meeting Our Interim Minister 
What's Your Story? I would like to know! I am setting aside time during the next several months to talk with individuals who would like to tell me about themselves, their work or families or hobbies, and their faith journey that brings them here to First Presbyterian and what their hopes and dreams may be for the church. Contact me at danila.noble@firstchurchbrooklyn.org to set up a time to talk. I look forward to hearing your stories. Interim Pastor Noble |
| 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. The names will be published in the Christmas Eve Service program. Please return to the church office No Later Than Sunday December 17th |
| Hearing Help We have a wireless headphone listening system available for anyone who is hearing impaired. For more information please see any tech operator for assistance. |
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Come be a part of the inspiring Sunday Worship and Fellowship by volunteering to be a greeter, usher, reader, host of fellowship hour!!! We need people to share the richness and grace of this community each week and demonstrate the radical love that is First Church Brooklyn. Please join us by following the QR, link or signing up on bulletin board in narthex of the church. |
| Advent Wreath Party, December 9th 
click the photo for more pictures! |
| Worship, Second Sunday of Advent 
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| Session Digests 2023 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 Diana Lee Patrick Tirino Christina Adorno Dimitri Moise Joyce Waller Nate Dudley Zayn Silva Jenny Gage Terrance Stroud Diane Greene Sarah Wyss David Jones Emily Thomas Dr. Clive Neil - Moderator Elder Barbara Cummings - Clerk |
| Looking for Food and Fellowship Volunteers First Church Brooklyn serves a Sunday fellowship lunch once a month at the Church of the Gethsemane, our sister Presbyterian church in Park Slope, Brooklyn, whose members are mostly formerly incarcerated. First Church volunteers prepare a meal, either at home or at the church's kitchen, attend worship at 11:00AM, and serve lunch after service to approximately 15-20 congregants. It's a wonderful opportunity to make good food and even better friends. We are looking for volunteers for December and January, on whatever Sunday works for you. Please contact Marta Nelson if you have questions or would like to volunteer. |
| White Rose Ministry (Cuban partnership) Announcements **UPDATED**WHITE ROSE MISSION TRIP RESCHEDULED!
The date for our 2024 Mission Trip to Cuba has changed. Instead of the trip occurring during the spring, we have opted to reschedule it so that it takes place in the fall of 2024. We expect the 10 to 12-day trip to fall sometime between mid-September and the end of October. Specific information regarding the Mission Trip will be provided to First Church Brooklyn members and supporters by April of next year. We encourage you to place this very special experience on your 2024 travel calendar.
For more information, please contact Patrick Dail (mobile: 347-880-1530, email: LPatrickDail@gmail.com). Vamos a divertirnos mucho y aprender mucho!! |
| Food Pantry  Serving Thursday, 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM On Thursday, December 14th, our pantry served 130 clients with the help of 21 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 8:00 and 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 |
| Queerly Beloved Fellowship - Every 3rd Sunday of the Month Whether to identify on queer spectrum or an ally…all are welcome to build a community of radical inclusion and love every 3rd Sunday of the month. Please gather at the front of the sanctuary right after service. |
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Join us in the Peace Garden to team up and launch out into the streets for community building with our homeless neighbors! We'll invite those we meet to dinner, hand out hygiene supplies, and build relationships of mutual support. |
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Youthful Fellowship - Dec. 21st from 7:00-9:00 PM at the Manse 20s and 30s are invited to gather food and fellowship, engaging in discussion, playing games, watching films, going on outings, building community around kindness and care. Come on over! |
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Men's Fellowship Book Discussion The Men's group meets for breakfast and book discussion Wednesdays at 8:00 AM. Please contact Dave Ehlke if you have any questions. Our current book study is: The Hundred Years' War on Palestine: A History of Settler Colonialism and Resistance, 1917 - 2017 By Rashid Khalidi, Fajer Al-Kaisi, et al. 
A landmark history of 100 years of war waged against the Palestinians from the foremost US historian of the Middle East, told through pivotal events and family history. In 1899, Yusuf Diya al-Khalidi, mayor of Jerusalem, alarmed by the Zionist call to create a Jewish national home in Palestine, wrote a letter aimed at Theodore Herzl: the country had an indigenous people who would not easily accept their own displacement. He warned of the perils ahead, ending his note, "in the name of God, let Palestine be left alone." Thus Rashid Khalidi, al-Khalidi's great-great-nephew, begins this sweeping history, the first general account of the conflict told from an explicitly Palestinian perspective. Drawing on a wealth of untapped archival materials and the reports of generations of family members - mayors, judges, scholars, diplomats, and journalists - The Hundred Years' War on Palestine upends accepted interpretations of the conflict, which tend, at best, to describe a tragic clash between two peoples with claims to the same territory. Instead, Khalidi traces a hundred years of colonial war on the Palestinians, waged first by the Zionist movement and then Israel, but backed by Britain and the United States, the great powers of the age. He highlights the key episodes in this colonial campaign, from the 1917 Balfour Declaration to the destruction of Palestine in 1948, from Israel's 1982 invasion of Lebanon to the endless and futile peace process. Original, authoritative, and important, The Hundred Years' War on Palestine is not a chronicle of victimization, nor does it whitewash the mistakes of Palestinian leaders or deny the emergence of national movements on both sides. In reevaluating the forces arrayed against the Palestinians, it offers an illuminating new view of a conflict that continues to this day. |
| Bring your favorite dish to share with the community every second Sunday of the month. Not only can we share delicious and loving crafted delights but create heart-warming memories with each other. Please bring the recipe so we can create a First Church Brooklyn Cookbook in the near future. |
| 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, 10:00 AM from July 4th through Labor Day weekend. If you have access to a screen of any size, try our Video LIVE Stream on our website and our Facebook page. |
| We're Social: Like us. Follow us. See us. Hear us. Watch us.    
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| 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. To sign up, simply scan the QR code at the right or text the word DEVOTIONAL to 718-689-6171 to sign up. This number is private to First Church for this ministry and your information will not be sold or distributed in any way. |
| A full calendar of church events can be found on the church website. |
| This week's eNewsletter was edited by Mark Elsenheimer. Wreath-making photos credit to Christina Adorno. Sunday Worship photos credit to 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 $75 or more in memory or in honor of friends and loved ones. Please contact Annie Solages in the Church office via email. Appointments with Ministry: Staff may be arranged by calling the Church at 718-624-3770, or via email. |
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