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| "I cannot be satisfied in Heaven if my brother is in Hell. … I cannot be at peace in my wholeness, if you are in part; I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be." (Howard Thurman sermon, 1979) We belong to a "web of mutuality," as another theologian puts it. We are in community with each other, and in those relationships we find who we individually and collectively are as God's children. Such a community thrives when empathy, mutual concern, is consistently practiced. One of our great opportunities at First Presbyterian is to be good Samaritans with one another. In that parable, some walked by the one in need, but one stopped and stooped down to touch and attend to a fellow's critical needs. It's not hard to find ourselves distant, even separated, from one another. Sometimes empathy is hard to find in our hearts if we feel dissed or lessened in some way. What would it be like to walk in someone else's shoes? Who, in your life, could you try that with today? "Let's give it a try," as Thurman liked to say. |
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(New Bones) Abolition & Revolutionary Love with Dr. Joy James Feb. 18th at 1 p.m. in the Elliott Room or via the Livestream. Professor James is a political theorist who focuses on antiblackness and Black resistance through the lenses of feminism and abolition. We will be discussing two of her books, just published last year. |
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| | | Friday, February 16th 6:30 PM Women's Potluck Elliot Room Sunday, February 19th 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 - 10:30 AM Power Hour Adult Christian Education and Discussion
via Zoom Worship Service Minister Conor Foley, preaching Sermon Title: "Resurrection City"
Biblical Text: Psalms 138:1-8; Acts 2:42-47 1:00 PM (New Bones) Abolition & Revolutionary Love with Dr. Joy James Elliot Room and via the Livestream After Service Queerly Beloved Fellowship Wednesday, February 21st 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 8:00 PM Becoming Peacemakers Elliot Room or Zoom Thursday, February 22nd 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM Food Pantry For information on how to volunteer contact
the church office |
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| | First Church Brooklyn Communion Table Covering 
Each Sunday during Black History Month, you will notice this beautiful cloth covering our communion table. The handwoven fabric composed of cotton, silk, and rayon fibers originated in West Africa and is known as "kente cloth." Through a textile technique known as "stripweave", large numbers of thin strips of the cloth are sewn together to produce a finished fabric. The earliest evidence of this traditional technique dates to the 11th century. Originally it was a royal and sacred cloth worn by kings from the Akan people and by royalty from the kingdom of Ashanti. Over time the use of kente cloth has become more widespread. The very large kente cloth on display was provided by Elders Richard and Diane Greene. |
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Join Conor on Wednesdays at 8pm in the Elliot Room or via zoom until February 21st as we begin to develop an analysis of our present moment, toward a program for undoing the violence that structures our life and building towards a more just and peaceful world. |
| Pastor Noble invites you… Pastor Noble is a member of the Queer Big Apple Corps Symphonic Band which is performing its spring concert at Symphony Space on Saturday, April 13 at 7:30 p.m. "Two Dimensions: The music behind the animation, from Disney to Looney Tunes and more" is sure to be a fun concert that will bring back many fond memories. The band is 125-strong and is a sister band to the equally large Marching Band that performs throughout the year in cities and towns across the East coast. Come and enjoy a great band with a mission to welcome all and that does it with passion and joy. Tickets now available at Symphony Space and will sell out. |
| Meeting With Our Interim Pastor 
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 to set up a time to talk via email. I look forward to hearing your stories. Interim Pastor Noble |
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Power Hour The Power Hour/Adult Christian Education group is starting the new year "in the beginning" with a study of Adam and Eve. We are reading "The Rise and Fall of Adam and Eve: The Story that Created Us" by Stephen Greenblatt. Discussion will take place Sundays at 9:30 on Zoom. |
| 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. |
| Recently at First Church Brooklyn |
| Sunday Service February 11th  
 
Shrove Tuesday Pancake Dinner  
 
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| Session Digests 2024 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 Dimitri Moise Joyce Waller Emily Thomas Nate Dudley Zayn Silva Sarah Wyss Jenny Gage Terrance Stroud Gladys McNish Lynn Schnarr Richard Greene Kevin Bentley Interim Pastor Danila Noble - 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 February and March, on whatever Sunday works for you. Please contact Marta Nelson if you have questions or would like to volunteer. |
| Food Pantry Serving Thursday, 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM 
On Thursday, February 15th, our pantry served 100 clients with the help of 17 volunteers. Up to 783 million people worldwide are hungry. That means one in ten people goes to bed on an empty stomach every night. 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 |
| New Member Classes 
Have you thought about joining our church? Or just want more information about what is means to be a Presbyterian? A member? Well this is your chance. Join Pastor Noble and Minister Foley on 3/10, 3/17, 3/24 and 3/31. They will facilitate these classes to assist in your discernment toward membership in our church. Meet in the narthex at 9:45 am on 3/10. See you there! |
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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. |
| Queerly Beloved Fellowship Every 3rd Sunday of the Month Whether you identify on the queer spectrum or as 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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Youthful Fellowship Second Thursday of the Month 7:00-9:00 PM at the Manse 20s and 30s are invited to gather for food and fellowship, engaging in discussion, playing games, watching films, going on outings, building community around kindness and care. Come on over! |
| 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. We are currently reading two books: Blackbirds Singing: Inspiring Black Women's Speeches from the Civil War to the Twenty-first Century by Janet Dewar Bell The Wretched of the Earth by Frantz Fanor When Mary Ann Shadd Cary—the first Black woman publisher in North America— declared, "break every yoke . . . let the oppressed go free" to congregants in Chatham, Canada, in 1858, she joined a tradition of African American women speaking for their own liberation. Drawing from a rich archive of political speeches, acclaimed activist and author Janet Dewart Bell, the author of Lighting the Fires of Freedom, which was nominated for an NAACP Image Award, explores this tradition in Blackbirds Singing. Gathering an array of recognized names as well as new discoveries, Bell curates two centuries of stirring public addresses by Black women, from Harriet Tubman and Ella Baker to Barbara Lee and Barbara Jordan. These magnificent speakers explore ethics, morality, courage, authenticity, and leadership, highlighting Black women speaking truth to power in service of freedom and justice. With an expansive historical lens, Blackbirds Singing celebrates the tradition of Black women's political speech and labor, allowing the voices and powerful visions of African American women to speak across generations building power for the world.  First published in 1961, and reissued in this sixtieth anniversary edition with a powerful new introduction by Cornel West, Frantz Fanon's The Wretched of the Earth is a masterfuland timeless interrogation of race, colonialism, psychological trauma, and revolutionary struggle, and a continuing influence on movements from Black Lives Matter to decolonization. A landmark text for revolutionaries and activists, The Wretched of the Earth is an eternal touchstone for civil rights, anti-colonialism, psychiatric studies, and Black consciousness movements around the world. Alongside Cornel West's introduction, the book features critical essays by Jean-Paul Sartre and Homi K. Bhabha. This sixtieth anniversary edition of Fanon's most famous text stands proudly alongside such pillars of anti-colonialism and anti-racism as Edward Said's Orientalism and The Autobiography of Malcolm X.
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| 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 Christina Adorno. Photos provided by Amy Neuner. |
| 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. Would you like to hold a celebration or event at First Church Brooklyn? Use our new room reservation calendar to schedule your event today. |
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