“Building Your Christian Legacy“

The FPC Planned Giving Committee would like to invite you to join us for a “Forum on Building Your Christian Legacy” on February 23, 2021, at 11:00 a.m. on Zoom (see registration link below).  We hope that whether you are already a Legacy Society member or are interested in learning more about planned giving, that you will join us for this special event.

Register in advance: ttps://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0tduCtrzssH93AoVc91uG78MdpikCbuTL7. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about how to join the meeting.

Here is a video that tells a little about the Legacy Society at First Presbyterian Church. Learn more about our speaker, Joseph Moore, here.

What is the Legacy Society?
Planned gifts, no matter the size, have the power to change lives for generations to come. You can become a Legacy Society member by providing for the future mission and ministry at First Presbyterian Church in your estate plans or through a life-income gift. Whatever your financial circumstances or your charitable goals, you can make a gift that benefits you and your loved ones as well as the church’s mission of following Jesus through a love of God and love and care for our neighbor.  

Need help remembering what people look like without masks? Longing for a church picture directory? You know, the kind where the corners get crinkled and you write notes in the margins. Help us make it happen! If you haven’t already uploaded a picture to our online directory now’s your chance and here are directions! The instructions to install the ChurchLife app on your smart device are here. The instructions for uploading your picture to the online directory are here. We’ll use photos from the online directory to create our print version so we need your help. We want to see your smiling faces, so please take a moment and upload those photos! For more information on using the ChurchLife app or the kind of photos that work best in a directory, contact the church office: 919-682-5511. Please upload your photo by February 12. 2021. Thank you.

All Sunday School classes have been canceled for Sunday, December 27, with the exception of the Lectionary Class. In the Lectionary Class at 10 a.m., preceded by the sharing of news and concerns (9:45), Rev. Dr. Wilson Gunn will lead this discussion:  The shepherds had left, but there were still surprises to come for Mary and Joseph: devout Simeon and prophetic Anna, through the eyes of faith, recognized who the child was and would be, and proclaimed that news to all in the temple. Join the class online here. (For phone access (audio only), call 301-715-8592.)  If you need a copy of the handout of scripture readings, contact Wilson Gunn ([email protected]).

At 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, December 20, the congregation will gather via the church’s YouTube channel (watch here) and hear stories and see photos from Robert’s 43 years with us as our sexton.  Members of Robert’s family have been asked to join him for this momentous occasion.  Robert is receiving two special honors on Sunday.  Click here to view information about the first honor! 

Join us live on our YouTube channel on Sunday, December 20 at 11:00 AM as we read scripture and sing carols and anthems in a service modeled after the Service of Lessons and Carols from King’s College, Cambridge, England.  This year’s service will feature video clips of FPC’s chancel choir singing carols from past Lessons and Carols services, as well as special music by Jacquelyn Bartlett (harp), Kent Foss (trumpet), and Lesley Curtis (soprano). We also invite you to give to the PCUSA Joy Gift offering.

In addition to picking up your Advent resources and updating your directory photo, you are asked to drop off donations for Durham Congregations in Action’s hygiene supplies drive. They are asking for the following items: 

     CDC-approved disinfectant wipes or sprays

     hand sanitizer           empty spray bottles                  paper towels

     toilet paper               feminine hygiene products      hand and body soap

Donations will be given to local food pantries for Durham families in need.  This drive is a continuation of DCIA’s hygiene drive which was launched this summer.  Thanks for your support.

LED BY: Mitzi Lesher-Thomas and Susan Dunlap 

TIME:  Sundays in December, 4-5pm.  (Dec. 6, 13, 20)

ZOOM LINK:  https://zoom.us/j/99260154711

The holidays can be a difficult time for people who have experienced the loss of a loved one or the loss of anything else close to the heart.  These three zoom gatherings offer a time of prayer and reflection to mourn, remember, and honor our losses.  Each gathering is different, and you are invited to all three or to just one or two.  Whether you have lost someone recently or decades ago, we’ll make room to come together in both sorrow and hope during this season of light shining in the darkness. 

Each household is invited to assemble their own elements (bread and wine) before worship begins. The celebrant will direct you as to when to eat the bread and drink the cup. Even though we will be socially distant, we can still celebrate the first Sunday in the year of our Lord, 2021. Click here to view the worship guide.