This Week at FPC

 
SUNDAY WORSHIP SCHEDULE

We are now following our summer schedule of worship, which is one full service at 10:00 AM.

A TIME OF PRAYER & COMMUNION

Sundays at 11:00 • Price Chapel
Every Sunday immediately following the 10:00 AM service, we offer an opportunity to receive the sacrament of Holy Communion and experience a time of healing prayer. Come to Price Chapel, where one of our pastors, together with members of the Order of St. Luke, stand ready to minister to your needs.(Note: The Sacrament of Holy Communion will not be offered on those Sundays when it is a part of the morning worship service.)

ADULT SUNDAY CLASSES
A Scripture Sampler

Sundays in July • 8:45-9:45 AM • Price Chapel
Hundreds of members and friends of First Church are reading through the Bible in the year 2010. In order to encourage those who are doing their daily readings, and to give those who are not a small sampling of the fascinating stories and insights found in God's Word, our July Sunday morning classes will be focusing on the scripture texts being read that weekend in the annual reading plan. Classes will be taught by the pastoral staff.

MEMBERSHIP CLASS RESCHEDULED

The New Member class originally scheduled for Sunday, July 11, has been postponed until the fall. This class, for those considering joining our church, explains the various options for membership. Questions? Stop by the Welcome Desk on Sunday or contact Beth Higbee at 591-1788.

NEON KIDS presents ...

VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL

August 2-6 • 9:00 AM to 12:00 Noon
Children age 4 through 5th grade are invited to join our High Seas Expedition: the voyage of a lifetime! At High Seas Expedition, kids will explore the mighty love of God on a journey that will change them forever. Kids will experience amazing Bible adventures, cool crafts, great games, awesome music and swashbuckling snacks! Registration begins July 5 for church members and July 12 for the community. To register, visit the Children's Check-in Desk on Sunday morning or contact at 992-3233.

How Can You Help With VBS?

VOLUNTEER: Consider volunteering your time to share the love of Christ with children from our church and community. We could use help with set building, decorating, games, snacks, and much more! Contact (239-992-3233) at the church for more information.

DONATE SNACKS: You can also help by donating some much needed snack items (listed below). Donations can be dropped off at the Children’s Check-in Desk on Sunday mornings or in the church office during the week.

Square pretzels Pringles Baked Wheat Stix Honey Nut Cheerios Miniature marshmallows Goldfish crackers Bite-size blue corn chips	Nilla Wafers Gummy worms Chocolate graham cracker crumbs Chip dip - ranch Blue Jello cups Small bottles of water (8 oz.)

PRAY: We invite you to pray for the children who will attend VBS, for their families, and for all of our volunteers and organizers... That all who participate will be blessed by the power of God’s love and transformed by His love.

SUMMER MUSIC CAMP

July 12-16 • 9:00 AM to 12:00 Noon
Children beginning kindergarten or first grade are invited to participate in our Summer Music Camp sponsored by the First Academy of Music at First Church. The daily schedule includes chapel time, music instruction, creative crafts, playground fun and snacks. Cost is $75 for the week. To register, call the First Academy of Music at 992-3410.

SUMMER READING CHALLENGE
Potluck Dinner and Discussion

Monday, July 26 • 6:00 PM Dinner
Pastor Pratt and the Christian Education Ministry have selected The Prodigal God by Tim Keller as the 2010 Summer Reading Challenge. Discussion, to be led by Pastor Pratt, is scheduled for Monday, July 26 at 7:00 PM.
The evening will begin with a pot luck dinner at 6:00 PM. Meat, beverages and rolls will be provided. There is no charge for the meal. Please bring a side dish to share according to the following “assignments,” based on the first letter of your last name: A – H Veggies; I – P Salads; Q – Z Desserts. Questions? Call Donabeth in the church office (992-3233). To reserve your space for the dinner, stop at the Christian Education kiosk Sunday morning. The Prodigal God is available for purchase in the FPC Book Center.

HONOR A VETERAN
Veterans Memorial planned for Bonita's Riverside Park

Honor or memorialize a veteran by purchasing a brick to be installed in the Veterans Memorial Walkway at Bonita Springs’ Riverside Park. All proceeds will be used for the purchase and installation of a sculpture in Riverside Park to honor our veterans. For more information, please contact Dick Moore at 495-8171.

MILITARY CARE PACKAGES

The Deacons of First Church have adopted a program encouraging members and friends to send "care packages" to those soldiers known to us who are deployed on active duty overseas. If you're interested in helping out, stop at the Military Care Packages table on Sunday; there you can pick up the name and address of one of our soldiers, along with instructions, Flat Rate boxes, labels, customs forms and tape. Postage is $11.95 per box.
Questions regarding this ministry may be addressed to .

THE ADVENTURE OF A LIFETIME
A Year in the Bible

Many of our members have taken up the challenge to read through the Bible in 2010, and are following the One Year Bible/One Year Bible Reading Plan to do so. One way to stay “on task” is to be reminded of the great value of what you’re reading. The Bible is God’s self-revelation to us. Consider memorizing a few key verses of scripture that speak to this. Our suggested memory verse for July reminds us that our words and even our very thoughts should please and honor God:

May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.
Psalm 19:14

This past week in our Bible reading we have completed the Book of Psalms, and are starting to read through them again in the second half of the year. Why should we read them twice? Because the Psalms uniquely express and give voice to all the varied emotions and experiences of life. Within these great poems — which were put to music and served as the hymnbook of the Old Testament worshiping people — we can find ourselves. Some of the Psalms express our fears and frustrations; others speak eloquently of faith and assurance. As you read through the Psalms again in the next six months, try turning them into prayers. Allow the Psalms to speak both to you and for you!

Copies of the One Year Bible and its corresponding Reading Plan are available in the FPC Book Center.

WOMEN'S MINISTRY
CURRENT STUDY GROUPS

Working Women's Fellowship • Tuesdays • 7:00-8:30 PM
The working women meet weekly in Price Parlor; women of all ages are invited to join WWF at any time. This group is ongoing and continues to meet during the summer months. This summer we are reading and discussing Listening for God by Marilyn Hontz. This book is available for purchase at the FPC Book Center.

Summer Sisterhood • Wednesdays, 9:30-11:00 AM • June and July
Summer is here ... and it's time once again to start Summer Sisterhood, our summer study program that helps us grow in our knowledge, understanding and love for God's Word. Women of all ages are invited to join us in the Chapel on Wednesday mornings in June and July. Our topic will be the book Choosing Gratitude by Nancy Leigh DeMoss, available at the FPC Book Center. Child care is provided. Sign up Sunday mornings at the Women's Ministry kiosk.

Questions on Women's Ministry events? Contact Director of Women's Ministries or Women's Ministries Chair .

MEN'S MINISTRY

Summer Schedule
We will take a summer recess from our weekly gatherings until September 9. During this time, we'll meet every other week for fellowship at Perkins Restaurant (Hwy 41 and Bonita Beach Road) beginning June 17. Put the remaining dates on your calendar now: July 1, July 15, July 29, August 12 and August 26.

For a full list of events, pick up a Men's Ministry brochure from the literature racks in the Narthex. Questions? Contact Chuck Vogt at 948-9230.

GRIEFSHARE

Tuesdays • 1:30–3:00 PM • Price Parlor
GriefShare is a friendly, caring group of people who are looking for encouragement and help to recover from their loss. Each self-contained weekly session begins with a brief video, and concludes with informal discussion.
Facilitators: Associate Pastor Steven Grant; Marietta Bala, MSW/Therapist; Parish Nurse Stephanie Stec; and Marian Horgan.

If you have questions, please contact Parish Nurse at 992-3233 X296.

THRIFT SHOP MINISTRY
Back to School Sale

DONATIONS NEEDED. First Thrift Shop needs gently used children’s clothing and school uniforms for the annual Back to School Sale, which starts August 1. An important part of our ministry, this sale provides local families an opportunity to purchase school clothes at reduced prices. If you would like to donate outgrown clothing for children from ages 3 and up, please drop your items off at the shop during our regular store hours.

Christmas in July!

Visit First Thrift for clearance prices on Christmas decor, tableware, ornaments & centerpieces. Donations welcome!

First Thrift is located on the southeast corner of the church campus.

IN OUR THOUGHTS & PRAYERS

Please remember the following in your prayers this week.

In Need of Special Prayers
Ruth Andreasen Jane Elder Kenneth Hunt	Jan Hanna Adeline Rasnick Ed Sonier

THOSE SERVING IN THE ARMED FORCES

Special prayers are requested for the following loved ones currently serving in our country's armed forces (names marked with an asterisk identify those presently deployed):

Nick Abey* Zachary K. Acon Steve Adams Alexis Alvarado Kyle Barnes Steven Bourdon Andrew Bryant John Bryant Matt Byington Sean Casey Amy Nesbitt Copeland Steven C. Copeland Justin Cramer Andrew Crawford John Cuddy Dave Cullen Andy Dalton Matthew Edmunds Brian Eifler	John Elofson Stephen Fox Peter W. Fritz David Gatoude David Gilliland Seth Guy* Kent C. Hay Michael Heath Travis Hilgers Jarrett Hon Michael Kim Dave Landymore John Quincy Lawton* Xavier Maldonado Lee Moffett* Martin Nichetta John D. Petro Timothy J. Petty	Mark Potter David Rhodes Nicholas E. Richardson* Evan A. Scott Kimberly Ann Scott Sean B. Scott* Dylan Sipos Kyle Sisco* Nathan Sitterley Logan Spachtholz* Thayne Stahlacker Trevor S. Thrasher Kurt Vollmer Aaron Wasliewski Brian Wilson Jonathan Wise Deisy Wolfe Matthew Wolfe Kyle York

Members and friends of First Church are welcome to submit names and APO addresses of loved ones serving in the military. We can add them to our prayer list and also to our military care package program. Please call or email the church with new information.

CHRISTIAN SYMPATHY

We express our Christian sympathy to:

• Sally Hunt and family, on the death of her husband, Ken, on June 25
• Ted Reagle and family, on the death of his wife, Jeanne, on June 25
• Frank Barickman, on the death of his daughter, Beth Benson, on June 24
• The family and friends of Ada Remmers, who died June 14
• Davis and Jeanette Wiggin, on the death of their son, Scott, in Saco, Maine on June 6
• The family and friends of Dorothy Cramer, who died June 2
• Jim Moore and family, on the death of his wife, Helen, on May 21
• Mimi Widmoyer and family, on the death of her husband, Jim, on May 4
• The family of Carol Brubaker, who died April 30
• George Fithian and Claire O'Dell and family, on the death of Eldora Fithian, wife and mother, on April 27
• Jean Yoder, on the death of her husband, Don, on April 26
• Sally Grugan, on the death of her husband, Dr. Robert Grugan, on April 26