Dear Church,
Lent has begun. This season of 40 days leading to Easter is often filled with images and experiences of wilderness. This is appropriate because Lent is an opportunity to reflect on our humanity (including our limits, our vulnerabilities, our mistakes). But even more, Lent is about what we discover in this reflection—both the need for love and grace and God’s willingness to grant such again and again.

For each Friday in lent our Weekend Refreshment will feature art and a brief reflection from the organization “A Sanctified Art” Many of these images and reflections will also appear on the church’s social media during the season—so if you find these items helpful or relevant in any way, please follow us on Instagram and Facebook and share with others.

http://www.facebook.com/firstpresbyterianchurchofgarner               http://www.instagram.com/firstpresbyterianchurchgarner/

In today’s image, “Invited In,” the artist Rev. Laura Wright Putnam writes:
“God invites us into thorough self examination and authentic relationship. In this image, a person kneels with arms extended, basking in the glow of God’s all-encompassing love. It is in the true pursuit of God, this intimate, inward turning, that God sees you. It is in our full, embodied, intentionality that we find deep connection with God and ourselves. This is the reward.”

Prayer: Oh God of expensive invitation, invite us once more into your heart this day. Help us feel at home, at ease, at peace. And as we know ourselves loved to the very depths of who we are, make us ready to open the door wide for other to make their home with you, too. Amen.

Announcements:

*In-Person/Livestream Worship: Join us each Sunday at 11:00am in person or online (via Facebook live) for worship!

On Sunday, February 26, we mark the first Sunday of Lent by proclaiming with trust how “Again & Again…God Is With Us” Explore with us God’s sustaining presence through times of wilderness and temptation. Join us after worship also for a Potluck lunch as we hear more details about homelessness in our area and what we can continue to do as a church to address this need with faith, hope, and love.

Online participation via Facebook Live: https://www.facebook.com/firstpresbyterianchurchofgarner

After worship, we will host a luncheon and short program about Family Promise. Representatives from the Wake County office will give a short presentation on homelessness and its current trends and will answer any question we have. The Missions Ministry Team will provide the main course – BBQ. Bring your best side dishes and desserts! Come learn about this mission we have supported for 7 years!

*Masks are welcome but optional during in-person worship as we continue to contend with COVID and an emerging flu season. We also ask everyone to be still mindful of social distancing and respectful of the personal space of others even as we give thanks for being together.*

Wellness Info:

• Walking Group: Join the Walking Group each Tuesday at 6pm. We currently meet at Cadence Senior Living Center (200 Minglewood Dr.). Dress warmly! If you have any questions, contact the church office at 919-772-0727. In the event there is inclement weather, we’ll just gather the following week.
• February is Heart Health Month and our Wellness Activities Team is sharing helpful advice (like joining the Tuesday Walking Group!) for maintaining a healthy heart lifestyle each Sunday in worship. Come and see how you can feel God’s wholeness in body, mind, and spirit.
• CNCB and Wellness Hygiene Item Drive: Community Navigators, Community Builders Youth group is planning a Women’s Health Event on Saturday, March 18. As part of the preparation for the event, the Wellness Activities Ministry team is coordinating with CNCB to have a Women’s Hygiene Item Drive. Items can be brought to the church office during the week or placed in a bin in the Library on Sunday’s. The collection will run through March 12.

2023 Vision Update: In January’s edition of the Spire, Rev. Acton wrote about church leaders (session, deacons, and staff) exploring an emerging vision for FPCoG, rooted in the idea of serving our “neighbors.” The session continued this conversation at its February meeting and approved the following recommendations:
1. Appoint a group who can help develop a consensus among the congregation for a vision of FPCoG rooted in the image of being neighborly towards our local, regional, and global communities.

2. Complete a demographic study of our region to better know who our neighbors are and what their needs might be.

The next step will be identifying people to serve on a “Vision Team” described above and identifying resources to help us complete a demographic study in a helpful way. The Team will be composed of active members of session, the deacons as well as the congregation. If you might be interested in serving and helping clarify the call God is issuing to FPCoG for its ministry now and into the future, please contact Rev. Acton  or Mike Koenig, the Clerk of Session.

*Boy Scout Troop 392 is having a Krispy Kreme fundraiser. Please contact the church office at (919) 772-0727 for information on how to get your certificate for a dozen glazed donuts. The cost is $15 for each certificate which can be used at any Krispy Kreme location across the United States. (Not valid for in grocery store purchases.)

* The 2023 Flower Chart is up! The flower chart is posted in the hallway and ready for sign-ups. The cost of the flowers for the coming year is $40.00.

*Share FPCoG with Each Other and Our Neighbors! FPCoG is an active church! To help others know this (and to stay up to date yourself), please consider following and asking others to follow us on Facebook or Instagram!
http://www.facebook.com/firstpresbyterianchurchofgarner
http://www.instagram.com/firstpresbyterianchurchgarner/

If you have pictures of church events, please share them as well! Send to adminsitration@firstpresbyterianchurchofgarner.com
Stephanie Taylor, our church admin, and our Instagram Volunteer Susie Knabe will take it from there!