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’20-’21 Children’s Sunday School Theme
August 13, 2020 
Contact Lenore Champion (children) or John Weicher (youth and adults)to access these Zoom classes.
9:00-9:30 a.m. Ages 2, 3, and 4
9:30-10:15 a.m. Younger elementary class
10:15-11:00 a.m. Older elementary class
10:00-10:45 a.m. Youth: Middle School and High School
10:00-10:50 a.m. Adults / Special Interests
The Women’s Spiritual Formation
class schedule: TBA
Scratch class at 8:00 p.m. on Sunday evenings
Congratulations to Lenore Champion!
July 07, 2020 
The Director of Children’s Ministry Search Team has announced that Lenore Champion has been called to serve in this newly created staff position. Lenore is a member of FPC, gifted, caring and faithful. She understands children, possesses a deep faith and theological training, and has a heart for our congregation and our children. Lenore will serve 12 hours per week, beginning Monday, July 20.
Virtual VBS during July
June 26, 2020 
First Presbyterian will have a virtual Vacation Bible School throughout the month of July. We’re calling it Choose Your Own Adventure Bible School. Each Wednesday (beginning July 1), Natalie will send out new material.
Children and their families will be given the option of engaging as much or as little as they’d like. There will be one Zoom check-in on Mondays that is completely optional.
The weekly themes of Choose Your Own Adventure Bible School will explore what it means for every human to be made in the image of God and how we are called to join God in loving and advocating for all of our neighbors. The goal is for families to feel empowered to talk together about the current events of our world – from COVID-19 to racial injustice – and to discover how our faith teaches us to respond. Please fill out this JotForm so that we can know who is participating. After you are registered, you will receive an email from Natalie with further details on how to access and engage the materials each week.
Support Initiatives from the Creation Care Subcommittee
June 25, 2020 
PLASTIC FREE JULY: We have seen photos of beaches strewn with plastic trash, and we have heard about the 8 million tons of plastic that go into the ocean every year. Here is something we can do about it, together! We can make a commitment to a Plastic Free July. Commit to either cut down on single-use plastic, or eliminate certain plastic items (grocery bags, water bottles, straws, for example), or you can go all the way and commit to eliminating all plastic. As a church, we can make a difference! If you have any questions or want to sign up to participate, contact Cris Rivera or call 919-225-4228.
The Creation Care Subcommittee of the Stewardship Committee is also encouraging members of the congregation to sign a petition that was endorsed by the Session at their June 22 meeting in support of Mayor Steve Schewel’s efforts to negotiate a better Operating Agreement for the City with Duke Energy to help Durham transition to 100% renewable energy. The negotiations begin this summer and having strong community support will strengthen the City’s position. You can See the petition for more details and sign on.
Church Office observes Independence Day Holiday
June 25, 2020 
The church office will be CLOSED Friday, July 3 in observance of the Independence Day (July 4) holiday.
PRAYER: God of righteousness and grace, as our nation celebrates this Independence Day, remind us of our complete dependence upon you. … We ask you to keep this nation, and all nations, under your care, that we may be peoples who are at peace, and who are a blessing to others on this earth. Grant our nation’s leaders wisdom, that there would be times of peace and justice in our land and in our world. … – Rear Admiral Mark L. Tidd (2012 )
Confessional Statement from FPC Pastors
June 03, 2020 
Dear friends,
Following the tragic and brutal murder of George Floyd last week, as well as the recent senseless killings of Breonna Taylor and Amaud Arbery, in addition to the endless numbers of incidents of racially motivated killings in our past, we, your pastors, join our voices in lament over the tight hold racism has over our nation. Every system in our country is poisoned by the sin of racism, including the church. We have much for which to confess. We claim as our own the confessional statement below from our siblings in Christ at First Presbyterian Church in Atlanta. These are words we will say repeatedly and prayerfully, and we invite you to join your voices with ours in confession to those we have wronged, through our action and our inaction:
To every black and brown member of this congregation, and to this community and city we share: we confess that we are part of sinful and broken systems that hurt you. We confess that we have perpetuated bias and prejudice. We confess this in our own lives and in our ministries. We repent of the superiority and hate we have harbored, and we prostrate ourselves before the Lord who requires us, in the words of the prophet Micah, “to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with our God.” We know we have work to do. We know that we have to listen and learn. And we know that in order for there to be real change in our world, we must share the struggle for justice as our own and stand up even when we are scared and even when it comes at a cost.
To every member of this church: as your pastors, we reject indifference (“It’s not my problem”), we reject our quick claims of innocence (“I’m not a racist”), and we reject willful helplessness (“I can’t do anything”) when it comes to racism in our lives, our ministries, the church we love, our city and nation. We commit to doing the work we need to do to become anti-racist. We commit to being an ally and partner in the work for racial justice and racial equity. And we hope you will join us.
One way to do that is to join in the 21-Day Race Equity Challenge put together by our friends at Myers Park Presbyterian Church in Charlotte, NC. They have invited others to participate in this challenge, which involves daily reading selections, video watching, and other opportunities to listen and learn. We have committed to this and hope that you will as well. Click on the link above for more information and to sign up.
We have a long way to go, but we will go together, and we will go by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the power of the Holy Spirit. May our hearts be open to wherever God leads us.
With deep and abiding love and hope,
Mindy Douglas, Pastor
Susan Dunlap, Parish Associate
John Weicher, Associate Pastor
NC Council of Churches’ Statement on Systemic Racism
June 03, 2020 
Click here to read the North Carolina Council of Churches’ response to recent protests and recurring acts of racism in our nation.
MEMORIAL DAY OBSERVED
May 24, 2020 
The Church Office will be closed on Monday, May 25 in observance of the Memorial Day holiday. While the church building remains closed because of the COVID-19 pandemic, administrative staff will be available at the church on Tuesday, May 26 beginning at 9:00 a.m. Please call or email the staff before coming to the church. Have a safe holiday!
Join us for Sunday Worship from wherever you are …
April 11, 2020 
We invite you to watch our Sunday worship (led by our pastoral staff) by clicking here at 11:00 a.m. You can use this worship guide to participate in the worship from wherever you are.