Thank you for joining us today! We hope you’ll return for Worship on Sunday, February 5, 2023, at the 11:00am English service in the Sanctuary or for the 11:00am Korean Language service in McMillen Chapel. Both services are also available to attend remotely via live stream on the website at www.firstpresfortwayne.org, or on YouTube.
Giving Reminder
Thank You For Giving: The Financial Office reminds all that the Per Capita for 2023 is $43.13 per person and that giving envelopes for the year are available in the small dining room.
Officer Nominations
Officer Nominations: The Nominating Committee is accepting nominations for church officers. If you are a member interested in serving as an officer such as Deacon, Elder, or member of next year’s Nominating Committee, or if you want to nominate another member for the same, please request a form from the church office, and return it in a sealed and labeled envelope. Please prayerfully consider serving the church in one of these offices. The deadline for submissions is February 12, 2023. If you have questions, please contact Carolyn Krebs or Heidi Schulenberg.
Distinguished Service Award
Awards: Each year we award the Church and Society Distinguished Service Award in memory of Elaine I. Wareham, who showed all of us that the witness of a Christian should extend beyond the local church and be a compelling force in daily life. We are seeking nominations, submitted in confidence, to the committee. Nomination forms and an explanation of the award, along with previous recipients, may be requested from the church office. Please return your completed form to the church office in a sealed and labeled envelope. The envelopes may be placed in the white labeled box in the church office until the deadline. The deadline to turn in your nomination is Sunday, February 19, 2023.
First Presbyterian Scholarships
First Presbyterian Scholarships: The 2023 selection period for First Presbyterian scholarships is now open. Scholarships in the amount of up to $1,000 are made available to qualifying members and children of members to provide financial assistance in pursuit of post-secondary education. Scholarship recipients may be of any age, as long as they are/will be full-time students taking degree-directed courses. No one can receive the scholarship more than four times.
If interested, contact Steve Weissner (stevewwmew@gmail.com/260-348-5347) in the Financial Office for more information and an application. Completed applications, along with a carefully edited essay, a listing of church participation and activities, and a cumulative high school or college transcript, must be received by April 1, 2023.
Education Opportunities
Tough Talk: Dr. Rev. Patricia K. Tull on the Ecological Crisis: Join us as we start the year with this Tough Talk exploring the growing ecological crisis and what we can do as Christians. In this talk, we will host Dr. Rev. Patricia K. Tull, Professor Emerita of Old Testament, at Louisville Presbyterian Seminary. Dr. Tull will focus on her discussion based on the writings from her book, Inhabiting Eden, which focuses on ecological justice and the connections between faith and the environment. This Tough Talk will be held on February 8th at 7 PM via Zoom. Contact Rev. Dr. Annie Epling or Resident Pastor Maxwell Michaels for more information.
Missions-Stewardship
Green Team – Today, the Green Team will be giving away free reusable sets of a “bag of bags” at the Green Team Cart. If you have not already done so already, please consider making an environmentally conscious Resolution for 2023: Use reusable bags rather than plastic bags when shopping. We hope this Green Team bag of bags will encourage your participation. If you already shop with reusable bags, consider giving one of our sets to someone you know who still uses plastic bags. Pay it forward for a greener world! Thank you!
The Arts
New Gallery Exhibit: The third exhibit of the 2022-23 FPC Gallery Series, Knife’s Edge – Papercutting, congregational reception is today at 1:00 PM. The exhibit features the art of Lou Hii, originally of Brunei, Borneo, now living in Indianapolis, and Janice Furtner of Fort Wayne, Indiana. A selection of photographs from Taizhou, China, a Fort Wayne sister city, will also be on exhibit.
Biennial Parish Art Exhibition: Calling all First Presbyterian artists—painters and potters, poets and short story writers, sculptors and fiber artists—all you creative people! The First Presbyterian Biennial Parish Art Exhibition will be this coming spring, March 24-May 21.
Start thinking about what you’d like to exhibit. Get out the paints! Fire up the kiln! Stitch or write away these winter days! Of course, you may exhibit anything that has not been in a previous parish show.
We will start collecting artwork March 1. Watch for future information bulletins. Contact Sarah Savage with any questions: savage2426@gmail.com or 260-482-5112.
Theatre: Season Tickets are now on sale for First Pres Theater’s 2023/24 Season of
Love! The ambitious productions include four Fort Wayne premiers, and a collaboration with Fort Wayne Youtheatre. FPT will present “Bedroom Farce”, “Head Over Heels”, “Almost Maine”, “The Prom” (with Fort Wayne Youtheatre), and “The Father.” Season tickets available through ArtsTix by calling 260-422-4226 or online by visiting www.artstix.com.
Children, Youth, and Families
Nursery Available for Infants thru Pre-School: Jesus loves the little children, and we do, too! Should you decide that today would be a good time to explore the nursery, your child is always invited to drop in. Ask the office volunteer for a key fob and directions, and our skilled child care employees will be excited to welcome your child while you worship.
Sunday School Today! – During our 11AM Worship
Calling all kids between kindergarten and 5th grade! Join us for Sunday School with Miss Rachel and Friends! After the Children’s Choir sings today, we’ll all head to our SS room as a group. Join us for fun, fellowship, learning, and of course…Bible Bucks!
Fellowship-Dinner Groups
Downtown dinner Group: It’s that time again! Dinner Time! The Downtown Dinner Group will meet on Monday, February 6, 2023 at 5:30pm at Hall’s Guest House (305 E. Superior St.). Please RSVP to Joyce McGiffin at (260) 409-2426 or by email at krinks52@hotmail.com. All are welcome and we hope to see you there!
North Dinner Group: Call me, but don’t call me late for dinner! Be sure to join the North Dinner Group on Monday February 6, 2023 at 5:30pm for dinner at The Factory Restaurant (5811 Coldwater Road). Please RSVP to Sondra Mergenthal at (260)437-9892 or by email at lisoninc@aol.com. We look forward to seeing you!
South Dinner Group: Do you hear that? It’s the sound of the dinner bell! Please join the South Dinner Group for dinner at Hall’s Tavern at Coventry (5747 Coventry Lane) on Monday, February 6, 2023, at 5:30pm. We look forward to fellowship with you!
Additional Notes
Table Talk 1 (Women’s Book Study) Wednesdays @ 10:00 am via Zoom
We are reading Jesus and the Disinherited by Howard Thurman. We take turns “reading around the table”, so no homework is assigned.
Meeting ID: 241 730 827. Passcode: 2604267421. Call-in Number: 312-626-6799. Contact Marj Sapp at 413.2639 or Marcie Weissner at 312.5733.