October 2021 Newsletter
Dear FCC Family,
I heard someone in our church utter a phrase recently that made me quite pensive. The phrase was, "We need the Lord to send us more people." I wholeheartedly want FCC to grow. However, increasing the attendance and, in turn, the amount of volunteers is NOT just a task for God. It is ours, as well, and part of the Great Commission ("to go into all the world and make disciples"). In our previous sermon series Take A Step, we encouraged you all to befriend new people, hear their stories, offer help and plant seeds of faith. I've, personally, been messaging, calling and texting friends that I know are not connected with a church. I've passed out fliers (even leaving several on windshields) for our new series Where is God When it Hurts and telling people I meet about our church's heart for outreach.
With outreach in mind, we are opening our gym for the community to play basketball free of charge on Monday evenings. We've partnered with the head boys basketball coach at River Road Middle School to help us lead skills development training for Middle and High School students, as well. We want to be a safe place for students. We want to connect with them, serve them on a personal level and be a friend. That's the start of the Great Commission. Like basketball? We could use a few helpers.
This month we will also launch our new Bible Study on Wednesday nights starting October 6th at 5:45pm in the Fellowship Hall (more details inside). As a reminder, the first phrase in FCC's mission statement is that we are a "family of growing believers." We see the need to grow in numbers but to do that, we need to all grow spiritually. Two of the greatest pillars of spiritual development are prayer (Prayer Gatherings are Tuesdays at 6:30pm, by the way) and Bible reading. We must all get to the point where communicating with God through prayer and Bible reading personal as well as corporate practices.
Would you join me in growing deeper in prayer and our knowledge of the Word? In the meantime, let's invite our friends, co-workers, family and loved ones as we continue to share love, grace and encouragement on Sunday mornings. Let us join God in growing FCC. Every one of you are indispensable and can be a part of FCC's growth.
Your Minister and Friend,
T.J. Long, Jr.
Board Meeting, September 2021
The official Board of First Christian church met in the Fellowship Classroom on September 13th at 7 pm. June Gibbs, Moderator called the meeting to order and opened with prayer. The minutes of our last meeting were approved. There were 17 members present.
Treasurer’s report: Portia Copeland said that $17,000 was owed on the roof as soon as the work is completed. The organ cleaning is $14,000. The building insurance will soon be due.
Worship Committee: The Worship Committee met on June 29th. Our agenda included discussion concerning a “Back to School” Sunday which was held on August 8th with the Pasquotank Elementary principal as our guest. At that June meeting we decided to consult with Outreach about a possible collection of school supplies as has been done in the past. As a follow-up our pastor and Nancy met with Melodi, Outreach chairperson and developed ideas for the drive. Our second agenda item was a discussion of our sound system needing some updates. With input from Keith Sawyer and our pastor, it was decided that Keith, TJ, and Portia would meet as they are most involved with the weekly sound issues. After they do some research, we would then meet again as worship committee to discuss their findings.
Next meeting was on July 29th when we continued the discussion of the sound system. Approximate prices for a new iPad and a new GoPro to improve the sound were quoted. We would like to purchase both. Keith has been using his person iPad. TJ suggested getting and updated GoPro and selling our older one. The board will be asked for approval of these purchases.
Education Committee: Norma James reported Teresa and Jessica are teaching children’s church along with herself. The Youth Event will take place on September 25th at 10 am to 2 pm. There will be a lesson, crafts, a bouncy house and lunch.
Membership Committee: Portia Copeland reported that Membership has been quiet for several months. Membership served a meal to the family of Mrs. Margaret Louise Davis Roughton on Monday, September 13th after her memorial service. Membership is assisting with the garage sale that will be held on Friday, September 17 and Saturday, September 18th from 8am to 2pm. We will be in the kitchen working to provide sausage biscuits, cheese biscuits, applejacks, coffee, and water for sale to customers. Proceeds will go to the youth funds for future programs. Homecoming will be Sunday, October 3rd. The lunch will be catered by Southland Restaurant and Catering in Moyock. The lunch will be fried chicken, ham, potato salad, green beans, mixed fruit, yeast rolls, and peach cobbler. The Church will provide tea and coffee and paper products.
Outreach Committee: Melodi Robbins reported that the backpacks were filled and delivered. SOULS will be fed the last Saturday in October. Pam Anderson will take care of the Christmas shoeboxes again this year.
Stewardship Committee: The budgets are due for all committees for 2022.
Property Committee: Tom Sawyer reported there is a leak under the steeple. This involves taking the steeple down and fixing the roofing under it. The steeple can then be power washed and painted. There are other electrical issues inside the sanctuary which require a skilled electrician and scaffolding. NEEAT school wants to use the gym for volleyball 3 to 4 weeks. They will buy the net. This will start on Tuesday after the yard sale. Brian Weatherly wants to do extensive landscaping around the church. His proposal is for $3,000. This will be discussed further.
Memorial Committee: Jean Etheridge reported April had 4 memorials, May: 18, June: 1, July: 0, August: 3, for a total of 26.
CMF: JP Rich reported that next meeting with be September 16th. There will be a speaker and a meal.
CWF: Portia Copeland reported that CWF met in May, June, July, August, and September 2021. Our August meeting was held on August 5 with a guest speaker from Wycliffe Associates. The gentleman described the work of secretly training people in mid-eastern countries about the Bible so that they can spread God’s word. His work is dangerous to him personally and therefore his name is not stated in this report. Our September meeting was held on September 2nd at noon. The members voted to donate $25 quarterly to the Wycliffe Association to help with training of people to do God’s ministry in mid-eastern countries. Pam Anderson suggested and the CWF members approved that we will provide Christmas bags with individuals names on each to collect Christmas Cards from everyone to people attending church. The bags will be on a table in the lobby starting after Thanksgiving (November 28th) and collecting cards through December 12th. The bags will be distributed to all shorty thereafter. This will save on postage and be a way to provide a personal touch. We had our Just Women bible Study, Lesson four entitled: “O God, Do Not Be Far From Me”, the promise of God’s Presence from Psalm 71. Our next CWF meeting will be on Thursday, October 7th at noon. All ladies are invited to attend.
Elders: Tom Sawyer reported that the elders serve as scheduled.
Deaconesses: Deloris Meads reported that the bread is prepared for the minister.
New Business: There will be flu shots again this year. The ages are 6 and up. There will be a sign up sheet. This will take place October 17th. The shots will be paid for those with no insurance. The building insurance was discussed. The current policy 14,000 for the building, with a 12,000 deductible. An alternative is a 20% replacement value, $70,000 offered buy back to $5,000. This would be an increase of nearly $18,000. We are able to cover this deductible now. Stella Gallop made a motion to leave it, as is, for this year. Teresa Moore seconded it. Motion Carried. An umbrella liability concerning employees for the church being sued was discussed. The cost would be $250 a year. Norma James made a motion to do this, it covers employers and sub-contracted employees. Betty Sawyer seconded it. Motion carried. Teresa Moore made a motion that the GoPro and iPad and accessories be purchased. The price is just under $2,000. The money will come from the Memorial committee funds. Tammy Sawyer seconded it. Motion carried. The minister gave a proposal to open the gym for basketball. Tom Sawyer made a motion to purchase basketball and a ball cart. Melodi Robbins seconded this. Motion carried. June Gibbs said there will now be monthly board meetings. The nominating committee consists of Stella Gallop, Teresa Moore, June Gibbs, Gail Hobbs, & Michelle Hopkins. Julian Copeland made a motion to accept this list, seconded by Stella Gallop. Motion carried.
Minister’s report: This minister’s report will cover things accomplished from June 15 (my start date) until the present (September 13). During that time, I have visited Cynda Bunch approximately 10 times, Margaret Roughton 5 times, Catherine Basnight twice and a host of others including Melodi Robbins, Stella Gallop, Teresa Moore and others once, whether in their homes or the hospital. I visited both Emerald White and Hazel Anderson in their respective facilities in Greenville on August 9. I have contacted (via phone call) 46 of the 72 households on our church contact list and plan to call the remainder by the end of next month.
I have met several of our physical neighbors of our church on Parsonage and Beech Streets.
I officiated the funeral for Margaret Roughton this very morning. I have completed the Commission of Ministry for NC’s application for ordination and will have my first meeting with them tomorrow morning, September 14. I am enrolled to begin our denomination’s Racial Equity training course on Monday, October 18.
I participated in a minister’s training in Edenton at Open Door Church on August 2nd, which inspired the creation of our Prayer Gathering, which began meeting on Tuesday night, August 10. The gatherings have had an attendance of anywhere between 4 and 8. We have been going through a book on ancient prayer practices called, “Creating a Life with God.”
We launched and completed the backpack drive in partnership with Symons Creek Tabernacle, which donated 75 completed supply lists for K-5 students enclosed in a new bookbag and a new Keurig coffee machine, K-cups, creamers, cups and more for the staff lounge for Pasquotank Elementary School. They were delivered on Friday, August 20th.
We have had two Advisory Council meetings and I have had two meetings with the Worship committee regarding addressing the audio & visual issues with our online broadcast of the Sunday morning service. I met with the Outreach Committee right before beginning the backpack drive. I have also met with the Church Development team (part of the Advisory council) and Cabinet within the last 6 weeks regarding the two items I proposed this evening (new Bible study format and opening of the gym for community use).
I attended the District meeting last month with Julian, Portia, June, JP and Carol. I created the partnership with Wycliffe Associates and our CWF and CMF ministries. We have completed two sermon series on prayer and evangelism with a new series set to begin on September 19. I recently moved from Hertford to Elizabeth City on Wednesday, September 1st, as well.
My primary goals for the coming month are increasing attendance through partnership with the congregation to 75 by the end of next month. I also will be rewriting the Job Description for the Secretary’s position in order to be more of an Administrative Assistant. This will be approved by the Moderator, Treasurer and the Stewardship committee chair who are all privy to this development. We will present the change to the board next month. I will spearhead facilitating the discussions for the Bible study nights and will be overseeing the usage of the gym, as well as beefing up our local and online advertising.
We are also looking forward to Homecoming 2021 and re-launching our friends and family nights next month.
I would welcome any potential oversights and additions to my list of priorities. Thank you all for a smooth transition to serving for me and my family! We have loved our time here and look forward to a long partnership in serving the church and community!
There being no further business Julian Copeland made a motion to adjourn, seconded by Teresa Moore. Pastor Long dismissed us in prayer.
Prayer Gathering
Join us Tuesday evenings at 6:30pm in the Fellowship Classroom as we seek to learn new disciplines in how to cultivate a more intimate prayer life with God. Our current study book is "Creating a Life with God" by Daniel Wolpert. Another central focus is to pray for God's will for us as a church. We also take time to pray for each other and leaders within our church. All are welcome to attend. You are not required to pray out loud during the Gatherings. Hope to see you there!
Current Series
September 19 through October 10
Where is God When it Hurts? (based on the book of the same title by Philip Yancey) -
"How can a loving God allow this to happen? Either God is all-loving or all-powerful, but he can't be both." You've heard that question, and perhaps even asked it yourself. It all resides with the issue of pain. When a loved one dies, or receives a terminal diagnosis, or natural disasters strike, people often wonder whether God is the cause of suffering and why he doesn't immediately take away the pain or fix the situation. As a result, we become angry at the once-beloved God who betrayed us. Where is God When it Hurts is a series for anyone whose life sometimes hasn't made sense. In this series, we will be one step closer to finding an answer when our pain, or the pain of those we love, is real and we are left wondering, where is God when it hurts?
New Bible Study on Wednesday nights
5:45-6:45pm in the Fellowship Hall
Our goal is to read through the whole Bible by reading 6 chapters a week together
No lectures, no curriculum! We will use discussion questions to delve into those chapters and learn from each other!
Come learn about this new format starting Wednesday, October 6th!
Christian Women’s Fellowship
The Christian Women’s Fellowship will meet at 12:00 Noon on Thursday, October 7th, in the Fellowship Hall. Feel free to bring a bag lunch to eat during our Bible study if you are able to join us during your lunch hour Call Nancy Tatum at 331-1816 if you would like to have a copy. Thank you!
Christian Men’s Fellowship
Christian Men’s Fellowship has resumed the third Thursday of every month at 6:30 pm! The next meeting is October 21st at 6:30 pm. Dinner is provided!
Garage Sale
The garage sale that we had last month was a huge success! We raised $2,219.80 for our youth fund! Thank you to all the donations and countless hours everyone worked to make it a success!
Flu Shots
Our flu shot clinic will be held on Sunday, Oct. 17, 2021 immediately following the Sunday Morning Worship Service. It will be for ages 6 and up this year. Shots will be administered by Kacey Weatherly of Walgreens. There is a sign up sheet in the parlor.
Friends & Family Night: Halloween Edition
We are so excited to bring back our Friends & Family Nights on Saturday, October 23rd at 6pm!
Don't come alone, as this night is all about inviting new friends and family who don't attend FCC. Come show your skills in our Cornhole Tourney, but there's a twist! All teams must include one adult and one child (17 & younger). We will have free hot dogs, hamburgers and chips for all! Every child will receive a free candy bag for coming! Costumes are welcome! Remember, don't come alone!
Nursery Reopened!
We have reopened our nursey! Tracey is back as our nursey attendant for both Sunday School & Worship.
Homecoming
On Sunday, October 3rd, First Christian Church will observe the 101st anniversary of the founding of this congregation. Due to the pandemic last fall, we were unable to proceed with Homecoming 2020. At that time we had hoped to remember through displays, pictures, conversations the small group, who on January 4, 1920, associated with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) as well as all of the dedicated members who have followed them. We still plan to have a happy time of sharing our church’s mission through the years and its role in the spiritual growth of many members past and present. One of our former pastors, Dr. Howard James, wrote the following for our church history: “May God ever bless and strengthen this beautiful congregation upon whom the mantle of Christian service has fallen, and grant that it will continue to bear spiritual fruit in all the generations to come.”
In the coming months we will continue to gather historical documents, mementos, and pictures in preparation for a time that we can truly celebrate 100+ years as a congregation. (Please look through your family collections to see if there are memories that you can share!)
During the past year our former pastor resigned to take another position in ministry. We began, under his leadership, an online service and have continued since then to design worship services in the safest ways possible for our congregants in light of the pandemic. The elders, deacons, along with all the faithful members kept the work of the church going while we searched for a new pastor. T.J. Long accepted the call to be our minister this summer, and we welcome him and Ava and Asher to their first Homecoming at First Christian! After worship with our pastor preaching, there will be a catered meal. If you signed up to attend, please join us in the gym following the service.
50 YEAR MEMBER
Debbie Pipkin Foster
Operation Christmas Child
Time flies when we are having fun! Well, it is time to have fun spreading the Good News about our Savior, Jesus Christ, through the giving of packed shoeboxes to children, internationally. What an awesome opportunity! We will collect shoeboxes from Sundays October 31st to November 21st. The usual $9 to fill up each shoebox has been taken care of! Individuals only need to turn in their filled shoeboxes.
If you have any questions please contact Pamela Anderson at 336-679-8713.
CALLING ALL HOOPERS!
FIRST CHRISTIAN CHURCH IS OPENING ITS GYM STARTING IN OCTOBER!
GET IN ON GAMES OF 21, HALF-COURT OR 5-ON-5 FULL COURT ON THE 1ST AND 3RD MONDAYS OF THE MONTH FROM 6:30-8PM STARTING OCTOBER 4TH! ALL AGES WELCOME
IF YOU’RE A MIDDLE OR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT AND YOU’D LIKE TO HONE YOUR BASKETBALL CRAFT, RIVER ROAD MIDDLE SCHOOL BASKETBALL COACH ALLAN BROTHERS WILL LEAD 90 MINUTES OF SKILLS DEVELOPMENT IN A FUN, COMPETITIVE WAY EVERY 2ND & 4TH MONDAY OF THE MONTH FROM 6:30-8PM STARTING MONDAY, OCTOBER 11TH!
Online Giving
You can now give to the Church using a credit or debit card. You can access the program ONLINE GIVING through the Church website – www.ecfirstccdoc.org. If you need instructions or assistance, please call Portia Copeland, 335-4447. The program allows you to select designated giving as well as General Funds/Tithes. The fee is $0.30 per transaction plus 2.9% of your donation. The program will figure the fee and allow you to add it to the donation or it will be taken away from your donation total with the balance transferred to the church account.
Dear FCC Family,
I heard someone in our church utter a phrase recently that made me quite pensive. The phrase was, "We need the Lord to send us more people." I wholeheartedly want FCC to grow. However, increasing the attendance and, in turn, the amount of volunteers is NOT just a task for God. It is ours, as well, and part of the Great Commission ("to go into all the world and make disciples"). In our previous sermon series Take A Step, we encouraged you all to befriend new people, hear their stories, offer help and plant seeds of faith. I've, personally, been messaging, calling and texting friends that I know are not connected with a church. I've passed out fliers (even leaving several on windshields) for our new series Where is God When it Hurts and telling people I meet about our church's heart for outreach.
With outreach in mind, we are opening our gym for the community to play basketball free of charge on Monday evenings. We've partnered with the head boys basketball coach at River Road Middle School to help us lead skills development training for Middle and High School students, as well. We want to be a safe place for students. We want to connect with them, serve them on a personal level and be a friend. That's the start of the Great Commission. Like basketball? We could use a few helpers.
This month we will also launch our new Bible Study on Wednesday nights starting October 6th at 5:45pm in the Fellowship Hall (more details inside). As a reminder, the first phrase in FCC's mission statement is that we are a "family of growing believers." We see the need to grow in numbers but to do that, we need to all grow spiritually. Two of the greatest pillars of spiritual development are prayer (Prayer Gatherings are Tuesdays at 6:30pm, by the way) and Bible reading. We must all get to the point where communicating with God through prayer and Bible reading personal as well as corporate practices.
Would you join me in growing deeper in prayer and our knowledge of the Word? In the meantime, let's invite our friends, co-workers, family and loved ones as we continue to share love, grace and encouragement on Sunday mornings. Let us join God in growing FCC. Every one of you are indispensable and can be a part of FCC's growth.
Your Minister and Friend,
T.J. Long, Jr.
Board Meeting, September 2021
The official Board of First Christian church met in the Fellowship Classroom on September 13th at 7 pm. June Gibbs, Moderator called the meeting to order and opened with prayer. The minutes of our last meeting were approved. There were 17 members present.
Treasurer’s report: Portia Copeland said that $17,000 was owed on the roof as soon as the work is completed. The organ cleaning is $14,000. The building insurance will soon be due.
Worship Committee: The Worship Committee met on June 29th. Our agenda included discussion concerning a “Back to School” Sunday which was held on August 8th with the Pasquotank Elementary principal as our guest. At that June meeting we decided to consult with Outreach about a possible collection of school supplies as has been done in the past. As a follow-up our pastor and Nancy met with Melodi, Outreach chairperson and developed ideas for the drive. Our second agenda item was a discussion of our sound system needing some updates. With input from Keith Sawyer and our pastor, it was decided that Keith, TJ, and Portia would meet as they are most involved with the weekly sound issues. After they do some research, we would then meet again as worship committee to discuss their findings.
Next meeting was on July 29th when we continued the discussion of the sound system. Approximate prices for a new iPad and a new GoPro to improve the sound were quoted. We would like to purchase both. Keith has been using his person iPad. TJ suggested getting and updated GoPro and selling our older one. The board will be asked for approval of these purchases.
Education Committee: Norma James reported Teresa and Jessica are teaching children’s church along with herself. The Youth Event will take place on September 25th at 10 am to 2 pm. There will be a lesson, crafts, a bouncy house and lunch.
Membership Committee: Portia Copeland reported that Membership has been quiet for several months. Membership served a meal to the family of Mrs. Margaret Louise Davis Roughton on Monday, September 13th after her memorial service. Membership is assisting with the garage sale that will be held on Friday, September 17 and Saturday, September 18th from 8am to 2pm. We will be in the kitchen working to provide sausage biscuits, cheese biscuits, applejacks, coffee, and water for sale to customers. Proceeds will go to the youth funds for future programs. Homecoming will be Sunday, October 3rd. The lunch will be catered by Southland Restaurant and Catering in Moyock. The lunch will be fried chicken, ham, potato salad, green beans, mixed fruit, yeast rolls, and peach cobbler. The Church will provide tea and coffee and paper products.
Outreach Committee: Melodi Robbins reported that the backpacks were filled and delivered. SOULS will be fed the last Saturday in October. Pam Anderson will take care of the Christmas shoeboxes again this year.
Stewardship Committee: The budgets are due for all committees for 2022.
Property Committee: Tom Sawyer reported there is a leak under the steeple. This involves taking the steeple down and fixing the roofing under it. The steeple can then be power washed and painted. There are other electrical issues inside the sanctuary which require a skilled electrician and scaffolding. NEEAT school wants to use the gym for volleyball 3 to 4 weeks. They will buy the net. This will start on Tuesday after the yard sale. Brian Weatherly wants to do extensive landscaping around the church. His proposal is for $3,000. This will be discussed further.
Memorial Committee: Jean Etheridge reported April had 4 memorials, May: 18, June: 1, July: 0, August: 3, for a total of 26.
CMF: JP Rich reported that next meeting with be September 16th. There will be a speaker and a meal.
CWF: Portia Copeland reported that CWF met in May, June, July, August, and September 2021. Our August meeting was held on August 5 with a guest speaker from Wycliffe Associates. The gentleman described the work of secretly training people in mid-eastern countries about the Bible so that they can spread God’s word. His work is dangerous to him personally and therefore his name is not stated in this report. Our September meeting was held on September 2nd at noon. The members voted to donate $25 quarterly to the Wycliffe Association to help with training of people to do God’s ministry in mid-eastern countries. Pam Anderson suggested and the CWF members approved that we will provide Christmas bags with individuals names on each to collect Christmas Cards from everyone to people attending church. The bags will be on a table in the lobby starting after Thanksgiving (November 28th) and collecting cards through December 12th. The bags will be distributed to all shorty thereafter. This will save on postage and be a way to provide a personal touch. We had our Just Women bible Study, Lesson four entitled: “O God, Do Not Be Far From Me”, the promise of God’s Presence from Psalm 71. Our next CWF meeting will be on Thursday, October 7th at noon. All ladies are invited to attend.
Elders: Tom Sawyer reported that the elders serve as scheduled.
Deaconesses: Deloris Meads reported that the bread is prepared for the minister.
New Business: There will be flu shots again this year. The ages are 6 and up. There will be a sign up sheet. This will take place October 17th. The shots will be paid for those with no insurance. The building insurance was discussed. The current policy 14,000 for the building, with a 12,000 deductible. An alternative is a 20% replacement value, $70,000 offered buy back to $5,000. This would be an increase of nearly $18,000. We are able to cover this deductible now. Stella Gallop made a motion to leave it, as is, for this year. Teresa Moore seconded it. Motion Carried. An umbrella liability concerning employees for the church being sued was discussed. The cost would be $250 a year. Norma James made a motion to do this, it covers employers and sub-contracted employees. Betty Sawyer seconded it. Motion carried. Teresa Moore made a motion that the GoPro and iPad and accessories be purchased. The price is just under $2,000. The money will come from the Memorial committee funds. Tammy Sawyer seconded it. Motion carried. The minister gave a proposal to open the gym for basketball. Tom Sawyer made a motion to purchase basketball and a ball cart. Melodi Robbins seconded this. Motion carried. June Gibbs said there will now be monthly board meetings. The nominating committee consists of Stella Gallop, Teresa Moore, June Gibbs, Gail Hobbs, & Michelle Hopkins. Julian Copeland made a motion to accept this list, seconded by Stella Gallop. Motion carried.
Minister’s report: This minister’s report will cover things accomplished from June 15 (my start date) until the present (September 13). During that time, I have visited Cynda Bunch approximately 10 times, Margaret Roughton 5 times, Catherine Basnight twice and a host of others including Melodi Robbins, Stella Gallop, Teresa Moore and others once, whether in their homes or the hospital. I visited both Emerald White and Hazel Anderson in their respective facilities in Greenville on August 9. I have contacted (via phone call) 46 of the 72 households on our church contact list and plan to call the remainder by the end of next month.
I have met several of our physical neighbors of our church on Parsonage and Beech Streets.
I officiated the funeral for Margaret Roughton this very morning. I have completed the Commission of Ministry for NC’s application for ordination and will have my first meeting with them tomorrow morning, September 14. I am enrolled to begin our denomination’s Racial Equity training course on Monday, October 18.
I participated in a minister’s training in Edenton at Open Door Church on August 2nd, which inspired the creation of our Prayer Gathering, which began meeting on Tuesday night, August 10. The gatherings have had an attendance of anywhere between 4 and 8. We have been going through a book on ancient prayer practices called, “Creating a Life with God.”
We launched and completed the backpack drive in partnership with Symons Creek Tabernacle, which donated 75 completed supply lists for K-5 students enclosed in a new bookbag and a new Keurig coffee machine, K-cups, creamers, cups and more for the staff lounge for Pasquotank Elementary School. They were delivered on Friday, August 20th.
We have had two Advisory Council meetings and I have had two meetings with the Worship committee regarding addressing the audio & visual issues with our online broadcast of the Sunday morning service. I met with the Outreach Committee right before beginning the backpack drive. I have also met with the Church Development team (part of the Advisory council) and Cabinet within the last 6 weeks regarding the two items I proposed this evening (new Bible study format and opening of the gym for community use).
I attended the District meeting last month with Julian, Portia, June, JP and Carol. I created the partnership with Wycliffe Associates and our CWF and CMF ministries. We have completed two sermon series on prayer and evangelism with a new series set to begin on September 19. I recently moved from Hertford to Elizabeth City on Wednesday, September 1st, as well.
My primary goals for the coming month are increasing attendance through partnership with the congregation to 75 by the end of next month. I also will be rewriting the Job Description for the Secretary’s position in order to be more of an Administrative Assistant. This will be approved by the Moderator, Treasurer and the Stewardship committee chair who are all privy to this development. We will present the change to the board next month. I will spearhead facilitating the discussions for the Bible study nights and will be overseeing the usage of the gym, as well as beefing up our local and online advertising.
We are also looking forward to Homecoming 2021 and re-launching our friends and family nights next month.
I would welcome any potential oversights and additions to my list of priorities. Thank you all for a smooth transition to serving for me and my family! We have loved our time here and look forward to a long partnership in serving the church and community!
There being no further business Julian Copeland made a motion to adjourn, seconded by Teresa Moore. Pastor Long dismissed us in prayer.
Prayer Gathering
Join us Tuesday evenings at 6:30pm in the Fellowship Classroom as we seek to learn new disciplines in how to cultivate a more intimate prayer life with God. Our current study book is "Creating a Life with God" by Daniel Wolpert. Another central focus is to pray for God's will for us as a church. We also take time to pray for each other and leaders within our church. All are welcome to attend. You are not required to pray out loud during the Gatherings. Hope to see you there!
Current Series
September 19 through October 10
Where is God When it Hurts? (based on the book of the same title by Philip Yancey) -
"How can a loving God allow this to happen? Either God is all-loving or all-powerful, but he can't be both." You've heard that question, and perhaps even asked it yourself. It all resides with the issue of pain. When a loved one dies, or receives a terminal diagnosis, or natural disasters strike, people often wonder whether God is the cause of suffering and why he doesn't immediately take away the pain or fix the situation. As a result, we become angry at the once-beloved God who betrayed us. Where is God When it Hurts is a series for anyone whose life sometimes hasn't made sense. In this series, we will be one step closer to finding an answer when our pain, or the pain of those we love, is real and we are left wondering, where is God when it hurts?
New Bible Study on Wednesday nights
5:45-6:45pm in the Fellowship Hall
Our goal is to read through the whole Bible by reading 6 chapters a week together
No lectures, no curriculum! We will use discussion questions to delve into those chapters and learn from each other!
Come learn about this new format starting Wednesday, October 6th!
Christian Women’s Fellowship
The Christian Women’s Fellowship will meet at 12:00 Noon on Thursday, October 7th, in the Fellowship Hall. Feel free to bring a bag lunch to eat during our Bible study if you are able to join us during your lunch hour Call Nancy Tatum at 331-1816 if you would like to have a copy. Thank you!
Christian Men’s Fellowship
Christian Men’s Fellowship has resumed the third Thursday of every month at 6:30 pm! The next meeting is October 21st at 6:30 pm. Dinner is provided!
Garage Sale
The garage sale that we had last month was a huge success! We raised $2,219.80 for our youth fund! Thank you to all the donations and countless hours everyone worked to make it a success!
Flu Shots
Our flu shot clinic will be held on Sunday, Oct. 17, 2021 immediately following the Sunday Morning Worship Service. It will be for ages 6 and up this year. Shots will be administered by Kacey Weatherly of Walgreens. There is a sign up sheet in the parlor.
Friends & Family Night: Halloween Edition
We are so excited to bring back our Friends & Family Nights on Saturday, October 23rd at 6pm!
Don't come alone, as this night is all about inviting new friends and family who don't attend FCC. Come show your skills in our Cornhole Tourney, but there's a twist! All teams must include one adult and one child (17 & younger). We will have free hot dogs, hamburgers and chips for all! Every child will receive a free candy bag for coming! Costumes are welcome! Remember, don't come alone!
Nursery Reopened!
We have reopened our nursey! Tracey is back as our nursey attendant for both Sunday School & Worship.
Homecoming
On Sunday, October 3rd, First Christian Church will observe the 101st anniversary of the founding of this congregation. Due to the pandemic last fall, we were unable to proceed with Homecoming 2020. At that time we had hoped to remember through displays, pictures, conversations the small group, who on January 4, 1920, associated with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) as well as all of the dedicated members who have followed them. We still plan to have a happy time of sharing our church’s mission through the years and its role in the spiritual growth of many members past and present. One of our former pastors, Dr. Howard James, wrote the following for our church history: “May God ever bless and strengthen this beautiful congregation upon whom the mantle of Christian service has fallen, and grant that it will continue to bear spiritual fruit in all the generations to come.”
In the coming months we will continue to gather historical documents, mementos, and pictures in preparation for a time that we can truly celebrate 100+ years as a congregation. (Please look through your family collections to see if there are memories that you can share!)
During the past year our former pastor resigned to take another position in ministry. We began, under his leadership, an online service and have continued since then to design worship services in the safest ways possible for our congregants in light of the pandemic. The elders, deacons, along with all the faithful members kept the work of the church going while we searched for a new pastor. T.J. Long accepted the call to be our minister this summer, and we welcome him and Ava and Asher to their first Homecoming at First Christian! After worship with our pastor preaching, there will be a catered meal. If you signed up to attend, please join us in the gym following the service.
50 YEAR MEMBER
Debbie Pipkin Foster
Operation Christmas Child
Time flies when we are having fun! Well, it is time to have fun spreading the Good News about our Savior, Jesus Christ, through the giving of packed shoeboxes to children, internationally. What an awesome opportunity! We will collect shoeboxes from Sundays October 31st to November 21st. The usual $9 to fill up each shoebox has been taken care of! Individuals only need to turn in their filled shoeboxes.
If you have any questions please contact Pamela Anderson at 336-679-8713.
CALLING ALL HOOPERS!
FIRST CHRISTIAN CHURCH IS OPENING ITS GYM STARTING IN OCTOBER!
GET IN ON GAMES OF 21, HALF-COURT OR 5-ON-5 FULL COURT ON THE 1ST AND 3RD MONDAYS OF THE MONTH FROM 6:30-8PM STARTING OCTOBER 4TH! ALL AGES WELCOME
IF YOU’RE A MIDDLE OR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT AND YOU’D LIKE TO HONE YOUR BASKETBALL CRAFT, RIVER ROAD MIDDLE SCHOOL BASKETBALL COACH ALLAN BROTHERS WILL LEAD 90 MINUTES OF SKILLS DEVELOPMENT IN A FUN, COMPETITIVE WAY EVERY 2ND & 4TH MONDAY OF THE MONTH FROM 6:30-8PM STARTING MONDAY, OCTOBER 11TH!
Online Giving
You can now give to the Church using a credit or debit card. You can access the program ONLINE GIVING through the Church website – www.ecfirstccdoc.org. If you need instructions or assistance, please call Portia Copeland, 335-4447. The program allows you to select designated giving as well as General Funds/Tithes. The fee is $0.30 per transaction plus 2.9% of your donation. The program will figure the fee and allow you to add it to the donation or it will be taken away from your donation total with the balance transferred to the church account.