Dear Church,

Earth Day is tomorrow, and our annual Earth Care Sunday is Sunday! To prepare our hearts and minds for the renewal of our call to be faithful and humble stewards of God’s creation, I thought I’d share with you a recording of a few hymns:

All Creatures of Our God and King

This is My Father’s World

May these serve as our prayers of thanks for God’s good gift of creation and our reminder to enjoy and care for what God has given.

Now, turn off the screen, put your feet on some grass, and experience the beauty of this day. Rain or shine, it is beautiful! And so are you and all parts of creation!

The Lord Bless and Keep you,

Rev. Ben

Announcements

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

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

On Sunday, April 23 we celebrate Earth Care Sunday, recalling our call to be faithful stewards of the whole wide world that God has created and blessed. Join us for this second part of our series on “Terms of Resurrection.”

*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.*

*Walking Group: Join the Walking Group each Tuesday at 6 pm. 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.

*Upcoming Mission Opportunities: Our next service to HOPE will be Saturday, April 29--save the date!

Also, check out the sign-up sheet for Habitat for Humanity in the narthex. Put your name down if you would be interested in helping in any way with the Spring Faith Build. We will pick a day and project that suits the skills, abilities, and time of those who would like to be involved.

* Today is National Family Promise Giving Day!! Please consider donating and encouraging your teams and circles to donate. They are currently in 11th place of a list of all 200 affiliates and the National office. To donate, please follow this link and be sure to scroll down to select affiliates and choose us. We want your donation to stay local! Family Promise Giving Day (fpgives.org)

*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 that 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 the “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 the 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.

*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/