Preschool Registration

Registration for the Children's Center opens on February 1st for Church members.  For information or to schedule a tour please contact Sherry Peters at childrenscenter@kirkwoodpres.org.

Music Ministry Update

I begin by offering a huge and heartfelt THANK YOU to all our choirs, instrumentalists, ushers, volunteers, etc for a wonderful Advent and Christmas season! The church was filled with wonderful music in both worship and concert. The attendance at our Christmas Concert this year passed the 650 mark! It was wonderful to have so many people in the building taking part in worship and fellowship.
 
We are in a new year and now is the time to consider being a part of our music ministry. We are welcoming new singers to the Chancel Choir and ringers in our Bell Choirs. Please let me know if you have interest or questions – we would love to have you join us!
 
Our next Con Spirito Concert Series performance is Sunday, January 29 at 3:00 pm. Classical guitarist Mark Akin will present a program in the sanctuary. Plan to attend and enjoy great music from one of St. Louis’s top musicians!
 
May this new year be filled with joy, good health, and abundant blessings.
 
Faithfully yours,
Bill

Con Spirito Concert on January 29 at 3 p.m.

Join us for the next concert in our Con Spirito series! W. Mark Akin will be performing on Sunday, January 29th at 3 p.m. in our Sanctuary. Award-winning classical guitarist, W. Mark Akin, is a St. Louis based musician who has engaged audiences across the country with his dynamic on-stage presence and musicality. This program is FREE and will run approximately one hour. The concert program is entitled "World Sets" and includes music from Argentia, Paraguay, Australia, Russia, the Balkans, and more.

If you would like to read W. Mark Akin's full bio, or learn more about the Con Spirito concert series, CLICK HERE.

If you would like to preview some of W. Mark Akin's work, please CLICK HERE to visit his YouTube page.

Welcome New Members!

Welcome our New Members...
 

Jesse and Molly Benton join us by Letter of Transfer from Ladue Chapel. They have two children, Dotty who is in eighth grade and in the confirmation class and Joey who is in fifth grade. Jesse was born in Minnesota and grew up in Oklahoma. He attended college at the University of Tulsa. Now he works as a product manager for Beltservice Corporation. His hobbies are following the Minnesota Vikings and fly fishing. Molly was born in Kirkwood and now lives here again. She works as an office manager at Pilates and Custom Fitness.
 

Karen Graf came to Kirkwood from Nebraska when she was in the 6th grade and has remained in the area ever since. She graduated from Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau and taught school for 4 years before starting a family. Once her children started school, Karen reentered the workforce in the sales/customer service area calling on Anheuser-Busch until her retirement. Karen and her husband John have been married for 17 years and live in Glendale. Between them they have 3 children and 6 grandchildren who all live close by. Karen enjoys golf, gardening and spending time with the grandchildren. Karen comes to us from St. Lucas UCC.
 

Maura Jacobs is joining us by reaffirmation of faith. She grew up in southwest Missouri and now lives in Shrewsbury. Maura has a degree in computer science and works as a software architect. She has 7 children and 5 grandchildren. She enjoys cosplay, Spanish groups, and crafting.
 
 

Luise and Mike Warren join us by Letter of Transfer from Knox Presbyterian Church in Naperville, IL. They have two grown children and four grandchildren. Luise grew up in Aurora, IL and is a retired geriatric care manager. She enjoys reading. Mike grew up in Naperville and is a retired therapist. He enjoys fishing, golf, woodworking, and cooking. He has been ordained as a Deacon and is a Stephen Minister.

Alternative Gift Market Results
Thank you so much for supporting our annual Alternative Gift Market! A special thank you to our bakers this year! We enjoyed having this festive event and are grateful to everyone for making it so successful! We raised $7,015.87 for fair trade and non-profit organizations! Here is the breakdown from this year’s market:

Please feel free to reach out to Ashley Force (ashleyjforce@hotmail.com) or Sarah Nepple (sarahbnepple@gmail.com) with any questions or suggestions for next year! 

Thank You for Participating in
Taste of Advent!

Thank you to all First Pres members who donated food items for Taste of Advent. Through your generosity, there was LOTS of food, for both KirkCare and the Little Pantry. Because of you, our neighbors and friends will have nutritious meals, with love from the First Pres community. Many thanks.

Christian Concerns Class

The topic for our Christian Concerns class on January 15^th is: Is the USA a Christian Nation? What Would the Founders Say? Our speaker is the Rev. Dr. Alan Meyers. He is a teaching elder in the PC(USA), a member of Giddings-Lovejoy Presbytery and Professor Emeritus of Religion at Lindenwood University. He is currently Parish Associate at Oak Hill Presbyterian Church in south St. Louis. Class will be held at 9:00 a.m. in the Fireside Room and will be available on Zoom for those at home. If you would like more information, please contact Ann at ann.willie@hotmail.com.
 

The Zoom link is :

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83836320060?pwd=dytxcWYxZ2NJNFlEaTBmWlVBRkNndz09

Meeting ID: 838 3632 0060

Passcode: 63122

If the link does not open directly, copy it and paste it into your internet Search window and find us there.

Special Request for Our Afghan Families

If you would be willing/able to assist our families in filing their 2022 income tax, please contact Sharon Croissant at 314-909-8136 or scrois822@gmail.com.

UPDATE ON OUR AFGHAN FAMILIES JANUARY 2023

It was just one year ago this month that our Congregation met our first Afghan family. We found them to be a wonderful family of 4...a Mom, a 26-year-old son, and two teenage children. In April, we connected with our second family (also wonderful) that also has a 50-something-year-old woman, her daughter and her husband (early 30s) and her 12-year-old grandson. Both families had initially moved to housing in South St. Louis and the children were enrolled in St. Louis Public Schools. We were fortunate that the young adults spoke SOME English and we could successfully communicate with them. We immediately found that both families were eager to move on in their lives and were most appreciative of our assistance and friendship.

With the help of Welcome Neighbor St. Louis (an agency that aids refugees) we have learned of the services available to the families, including providing them with furniture from Home Sweet Home. Unfortunately, the areas of the city where they were living proved to be rather dangerous and in August we were able to move BOTH families to the same safe apartment complex in Affton. The children seem to be happy in the Affton Middle and High Schools. The young people (20s – 30s) are employed and the 18-year-old has a weekend job. We continue giving counsel on their plans for the future (i.e., better jobs, education, career paths).

Our generous congregation has assisted in some of the financial hurdles as they continue on the path toward independence. We are presently assisting with some short term needs like dental treatment, car repairs, school tuition and helping them to navigate some of the services provided by the U.S. government (food stamps, Medicaid, etc.). Immigration issues abound since both families have close relatives that they would like to see relocated from Afghanistan to the U.S. Your committee members have put in countless hours in counseling, transporting, entertaining, teaching and befriending this group of FUTURE CITIZENS.

At the Alternative Gift Market in December, our two older women earned over $200 each through the sales of their handmade Christmas ornaments.  

What can be done for the family in 2023?  Monetary contributions to the AFGHAN FAMILY FUND through First Presbyterian Church or gift cards to Aldi’s, Target, Global Foods or gas stations are always appreciated. If you would be interested in joining our FUN GROUP of volunteers and to spend time with our new friends, please contact Tom Edelstein 314-973-4235 or Sharon Croissant 314-909-8136. 

Breakfast Casseroles for St. Patrick's Center

St. Patrick’s Center provides opportunities for self-sufficiency and dignity to people who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. Individuals and families build permanent, positive change in their lives through safe and affordable housing, sound mental and physical health, and employment and financial stability. 
 
Please join us by preparing a delicious breakfast casserole for St. Patrick’s Center. CLICK HERE for the recipe.

For more information, please contact Julie Nesvig at j.nesvig83@gmail.com. 

First Presbyterian Church of Kirkwood
Little Free Pantry

Our Little Free Pantry is a part of the solution for those with food insecurities. Our Little Free Pantry is located near the Jefferson Avenue entrance of the church. Whether there is a need for food, or a need to give, our Little Free Pantry helps feed neighbors, and nourishes all of us.  

Please give what you ‘can’ (we especially need canned meals/meats, fruit, and veggies). Thank you!

First Presbyterian Church of Kirkwood
Book Clubs

We have several active book clubs! Check out the info below!
 

Tuesday Book Club – Meets weekly at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesdays in the Fireplace Room. Our current book is The President and the Assassin: McKinley, Terror, and Empire at the Dawn of the American Century by Scott Miller. We always have room for more participants! Contact Karen Koch, kochkarenp@gmail.com.

Wednesday Book Club - Our next meeting is January 25 at 1:30 p.m. over Zoom. We will be discussing The Daughters of Yalta by Catherine Grace Katz. This is the untold story of the 3 intelligent and glamorous young women who accompanied their famous fathers to the Yalta Conference in February 1945. If you want to be added to the contact list, please contact Julia Abreu at julia@abreu.net. 
 
History Book Group –Meets on Thursdays at 10:30 a.m. every other month at church. Over the next four months we are reading Barbara Tuchman’s A Distant Mirror about Europe’s 14^th century. It was a time of climate change, plague and loss of faith in secular and clerical leaders; a century with major repercussions today. The group’s goal is to read through chapter 5 for the upcoming meeting at 10:30 a.m. on January 26 at church. All are welcome. For more info, contact Carlin Scanlan (ccscanlan@swbell.net) or Don Lewis (donlewis610@gmail.com).

Give Online
Have you tried giving online? You can do a onetime gift or set up reoccurring payments and pay with ACH direct from your checking account, via credit card or using GooglePay.
 
Go to https://www.shelbygiving.com/app/giving/kirkwoodpres and follow the prompts, text GIVE to 314-293-4922, or scan the QR code to go directly to our giving portal. If you have any questions, please reach out to accounting@kirkwoodpres.org.