First Presbyterian Church, Alpena, MI
Church Fellowship
Recognizing that Sunday worship is one of the focal points of our congregation, enjoying each other in fellowship activities is also significant and takes place as we reach out to each other and to our greater community, doing the work of Jesus Christ.
Serving each other and sharing joys and concerns is an important part of the Fellowship Hour we enjoy following worship each Sunday. Featuring light snacks and beverages, members and friends of the congregation gather in the Fellowship Hall to meet guests, chat with friends, and enjoy each other's company.
Throughout the year potluck meals are planned, providing more opportunities to gather as a church family. These are usually in conjunction with a special focus, for example our annual congregational meeting in January and our annual birthday cake auction later in the year.
In recent years we have shared a planned Thanksgiving potluck dinner for those who wish to join with other members of our church family and give thanks for our blessings.
Community Fellowship
Plans for our annual Strawberry Social are undecided at this time. In previous years members of the congregation worked together preparing for this event. Brought in from one of the local patches, the berries are prepared at the church as the biscuits are baked in our kitchen. The public is invited to the fundraiser, which provides monies for our Children at Risk Fund.
In addition, members of our church family volunteer at St. Bernard’s Friendship Room every fourth Friday throughout the year, helping to prepare and serving dinners with other members of the community to provide for those in need.
Our deacons coordinate a Caring Cart every month, benefiting various community organizations. Church members are invited to donate items appropriate for the identified need.
Serving the Church
It takes many hands to do the work of the church and those hands are often at work behind the scenes, preparing communion, sewing banners for the sanctuary, working in the flower gardens, participating in occasional “work bees”, cleaning the kitchen, preparing the sanctuary for Sunday, and mowing the lawn.
Others serve as elders and deacons, or as members of a variety of committees. They may sing in the choir, assist in leading worship as lay liturgists, or act as greeters or ushers on Sundays.
Men's Fellowship
Presbyterian Men may possibly be reactivated, to promote men's ministry, to engage in projects which will improve the church, and to support local mission activities.
As plans develop, they will be announced here and in our monthly newsletter, The Tartan.
This group--working with Family Enterprise, Inc., in Alpena--opened an online store offering a variety of items embroidered with the church's logo: shirts, hats, sweatshirts, and an apron. Orders are placed online or in person at Family Enterprise (211 S. Second Avenue, Alpena), and items, when ready are available for pickup at Family Enterprise. The online store is open year-round.
Women’s Fellowship
Presbyterian Women gather most months to share a meal, for fellowship, to hear a speaker, or to work on a project. Sometimes the women meet at the church, occasionally at local eateries, or they plan a short "field trip". All Christian women are invited to participate in the organization's activities, which also include a fund-raising, community event.
Recently-raised monies have been used to carpet the pastor's office and the meeting room, purchase name badges for the congregational family, and donate toward replacing windows. In the past the group has purchased needed lighting, provided automatic door openers, and paid for reupholstering pews, new kitchen appliances, and landscaping the church grounds.