| | Special Announcement Dear Members and Friends of First Presbyterian Church of Brooklyn, It is with sadness we announce that our Outreach Minister, Conor Foley, has resigned their position with First Presbyterian Church of Brooklyn as of Wednesday, August 13. Their ministry among us over the last 7 years has been engaging, thought provoking and inspiring and they have taken on difficult tasks on our behalf many times over those years. We have especially appreciated their kindness and their focus on those in need in our community and around the world. We will miss them and we pray for their continuing journey. At the same time, we are pleased to announce they have been named Director of Community Engagement with The Community Church of New York, a Unitarian/Universalist church in midtown Manhattan. Their new employment begins on August 25th. This is a time to celebrate the ways in which Conor has brought our congregation to deeper appreciation of each other and a deeper appreciation for our work in the world. Please join us in celebrating them during the coming week and especially on Sunday, August 24th when Conor will preach. Danila Noble
Interim Pastor and Head of Staff |
Enter God's gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise.
Give thanks to God; bless God's name. For the Lord is good;
God's steadfast love endures forever
and his faithfulness to all generations.
(Psalm 100:4-5) Our heritage is one of thanks. Despite the world's penchant for self-reliance and self-absorption, we recognize we need each other in order to be God's people. Our individual gifts and skills are best appreciated in community as we contribute ourselves to the greater good. Today we give thanks to God for the gifts of Conor Foley and all the ways their gifts and skills led us to deeper appreciation for God's mercy, grace, and love. As they say farewell to us and prepare for a new challenge at the Community Church of New York, we take these next days to thank God for Conor and to thank Conor for their work with us and among us. I encourage you to send a note or a card to Conor with your thanks for how they touched your heart or mind or inspired you to a deeper faith. This will be something they can keep and look back on with appreciation and fond memories. And don't miss worship on the 24th when Conor will preach and we will share our thanks to God for them and also thank them for their many gifts to us over these past 7 years. |
Please consider praying for the people who recently left these concerns on our church's front fence: - Missing the little everyday moments that make life, life.
- Having no friends.
- Leave my insecurities and low self-esteem behind and start to live.
- My worry is that my family will fall apart.
- Not getting into a good middle school.
- Oh dear God, please help my mom get through her sickness and mental struggles and give her strength on her hard days.
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Support for LGBT+ There are good reasons to be angry and afraid now as executive orders have been directed at you, and especially at transgender and gender non-conforming friends. I support you-- and I am available to talk by phone or in person. Don't agonize alone. We will do better together. Interim Pastor Danila Noble danila.noble@firstchurchbrooklyn.org |
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| | | NOTE: You can find the Bulletin for Sunday's worship online here. SUMMER HOURS 10:00 AM Sunday Worship Andrew Laro, Preaching Title: "The Fruit of Mutual Aid" Scripture: Galatians 5:13-6:2 Worship with us in person, our website, or on our Facebook Page. Following Worship Sandwich making for the Homeless (CHiPS) Elliot Room Queerly Beloved Fellowship
Gather at the front of the Sanctuary 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM First Church Softball on Sunday nights Commodore Barry Park Wednesday, August 20th 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM Homeless Street Ministry Peace Garden Thursday, August 21st 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM |
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| First Church Welcomes Andrew Laro as our guest preacher.  Andrew Laro (he/his) lives in Manhattan with his amazing partner Megan and incredibly spunky cat Ari, where he is a dual-Master's degree student, pursuing a Master of Divinity from Union Theological Seminary and a Master of Social Work from Columbia University. Andrew has completed the MDiv portion of his dual-degree program and has one more year left before being conferred both degrees.
Last year, Andrew served as an intern for the New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, where he provided sexual abuse prevention trainings to over 1,400 children in NYC schools. Andrew is excited to begin a second internship this year as a student therapist for RIVIA Mind. In 2017, he earned bachelor's degrees in Youth Ministry and Psychology from Eastern University. Andrew is beginning the ordination process in the United Church of Christ, with hopes to become an ordained pastor of a church that practices extravagant welcome for those who have been harmed by the church. In addition to school, Andrew runs Connect Church Communications, a freelance communications business that serves small churches. In his free time, Andrew enjoys hiking, reading, playing the piano, and playing Dungeons and Dragons with his fellow nerdy friends. |
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. |
Summer Hours through Labor Day Sunday Worship 10:00 AM 
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Homecoming Weekend, 2025 
Saturday, September 20 and Sunday, September 21 Save the date! And get involved! Parade planning Games and events Food and music Hanging the Adrienne Thorne portrait Including the neighborhood Planning is underway- join the fun! Many years ago, I was a member of a little Presbyterian church in central Utah with about 50 members but no sister congregations in hundreds of squares miles. Our church building had a bell tower - not very big but right over the front door. Kids loved to pull the rope to ring the bell at Sunday worship. It became clear that some pointing needed to be done on the bricks of the bell tower. Our small congregation didn't have the funds to do it. So, a fundraiser was organized to raise the money. The event would be a boxed lunch fundraiser. Members would make a lunch for two people and bring it to the church where it would be auctioned off to the highest bidder. And the winning bid also won the opportunity to share the lunch with the person who made it. The auction began and the first lunch went for $15. The second lunch went for $12. And then someone spoke up, saying, "This isn't about getting your money's worth and we're not competing with the diner down the street to see if we can get a lunch a little bit cheaper. The lunches are an added benefit to donations we need to make to fix the bell tower." The next lunch went for $100. And we were focused! Our Session is leading an effort to plan a Homecoming Weekend this fall on September 20-21. Yes, two days. Plans now include parades through the neighborhood inviting our neighbors to attend, games for children, food and music, hanging of the Adrienne Thorne portrait, closing the sidewalk or street, possible tours of stained glass windows, church history videos playing, a social action project of some kind, and a special Sunday worship. This is the year we will be starting the journey toward our next installed pastor. Let's start with some fun, with welcoming our neighborhood, and working together to make it a memorable celebration. It won't happen with a few elders planning alone. It requires all of us contributing ideas now and helping with the implementation in September. Please join in the effort! Here are the planning teams you are invited to join by contacting info@firstchurchbrooklyn or signing up in Sunday worship. And thanks to those who signed up last Sunday! Activities (with Patrick Tirino, Joyce Waller and Dimitri Moise) Music/Entertainment (with Jon Abernethy) Food (with Emily Thomas, Richard Greene, and Erik Brogger) Communication/Advertising (with Joyce Waller) Finance (with Gladys McNish, Richard Green) |
Sunday Worship, August 10 
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| Session Digests 2025 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: Jonathan Abernethy, Kevin Bentley, Erik Brogger, Jenny Gage, Richard Greene, Diana Lee, Gladys McNish, Dimitri Moise, Lynn Schnarr, Zayn Silva, Terrance Stroud, Emily Thomas, Patrick Tirino, Joyce Waller, Sarah Wyss Interim Pastor Danila Noble - Moderator Elder Barbara Cummings - Clerk | |
Looking for Food and Fellowship Volunteers First Church Brooklyn serves a Sunday fellowship lunch once each 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 August and September, 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, August 14th, our pantry served 115 clients thanks to 17 volunteers including the help of Yai. According to the 2023 edition of the State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World report, between 691 and 783 million people faced hunger in 2022, representing an increase of 122 million people compared to 2019. Volunteers are welcome to arrive on Thursdays between 8:00 and 11:00 AM to serve in the pantry. No advanced notice is required. Please contact the church office to inquire about volunteering. We look forward to serving with you. |
Congregation and Community News |
First Church Softball! 
Hey there! Are you interested in getting outside, connecting with community members, and maybe learning some new skills? You should join us for softball practice starting through the end of the month. We'll meet at Commodore Barry Park from 6:30-8 p.m. on Sunday nights for fun, social, and energizing practices that might just turn us into a formidable team for a fall league! If you'd like to know more, please fill out this form and we'll loop you in :) |
First Presbyterian Church of Brooklyn is a Matthew 25 Church The Communication and Marketing committee is proud to share our new "Ask me about Matthew 25" video. |
Men's Fellowship The Men's group is on hiatus during August and return with their breakfeast book fellowship on Wednesday, September 3 
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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. |
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 10:00 AM Eastern time from July 4th through Labor Day weekend. If you have access to a connected screen of any size, try our Video LIVE Stream on our website or our Facebook page. |
We're Social Like us. Follow us. See us. Hear us. Watch us.    
  
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Wednesday Morning Devotional message 
Signup for our Wednesday morning devotional and receive a verse of scripture, a song from worship, a short video message from our staff or an inspirational quote to meditate on. Give yourself 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. 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, with photos taken from the First Church Tech Team's video recording. |
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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