FACTWeekly Update
Week of Sunday, July 27, 2025
"Praying When You Are In a Pit”
Jonah 2
Rev. Ferrell Towns
WELCOME! Our heartbeat is to Connect to Christ, Grow with Others, and Engage the World together as Family. We gather to be disciples totally committed to Christ, becoming like Him in supreme love for God, selfless love for others, and sacrificial love for the world as we go locally, regionally, and globally. We hope you participate today with an expectation to encounter the Lord and a desire to celebrate the wonder of Jesus. It’s all about Him!
New (or New Again)?
We’re glad you are here. For information about Next Steps or Prayer, scroll to the bottom. Would you please take a moment and complete the Next Steps Card (button below) so we can start to get to know you? For information about FACTkids ministries (including Sunday morning Kingdom Kids), FACTyouth, or general FAQs about First Alliance Church, click here.
NEWS & INFORMATION
In addition to the next steps given that are part of each opportunity, you can also stop by the Welcome Center or contact the FACT Office.
Summer means different schedules, longer daytime hours, and (maybe) more free time, but it doesn’t mean you stop growing as a biblical, loving, spirit-filled disciple.
Connect to Christ through personal, spiritual disciplines and consistent Sunday morning participation in worship, either in person or online.
Grow with Others by exercising intentional hospitality this month with food, prayer, and talking about who Jesus is to you.
Engage the World by delving deeper into why missions matter and what role you’re meant to play in the Great Commission. In just three minutes a day for four days, explore how you can engage in missions with The Alliance. Go to https://cmalliance.org/allofjesus/missions-engagement-2025-ecourse-form/ to start the free course.
What’s your next step this summer?
FACT GIVING
June 2025
Monthly Needed Income for General Fund = $36,514
Monthly Received for General Fund = $31,371 (14% under budget)
Monthly Needed Income for GCF = $8,432
Monthly Received for GCF = $8,200 (3% under budget)
July 20, 2025
Received for General Fund = $4,644
Received for the GCF = $848
FACTFAMILY NEWS
Everyone working with kids under the age of 18 must complete Risk Management Training each year. Your Risk Management Training must be completed before you begin your ministry. If you work with kids in the nursery, Kingdom Kids, AWANA, youth group, security, you will need to complete risk management training. Now is the perfect time to complete your Risk Management Training for the fall and it is easy! Just take a 30 minute multiple-choice questionnaire. Go to https://factoccoa.com/risk to begin!
FACT Youth, plan on a LAKE Day on Wednesday, July 30. More details to come soon.
AWANA will soon be upon us! If you are planning to serve in AWANA this year, there are a couple of dates to remember.
Registration for AWANA is now open. Click HERE to get more information, to see the Fall Schedule, and to register.
On Wednesday, August 13, there will be a Leader Training Night for all workers at 6:30 pm in the Fellowship Hall. . If you are planning to help with AWANA this year, you need to attend this meeting.
On Wednesday, August 20, there will be a Risk Management Training for anyone who does not complete the online version of Risk Management Training. You can access the online version HERE. It is much easier this year and is taking about 30 minutes to complete online. Remember that you must complete Risk Management Training and have a clean background check BEFORE you can work with children under the age of 18. So, take a few minutes and finish it now. If you need help with the training, then plan to come on August 20.
The AWANA Kick Off Fair will be held on Wednesday, August 27. Please enter through the office door and proceed to the children’s wing where we will have games, hot dogs, chips, and more. This vital part of FACTkids disciple-making introduces boys and girls to Jesus and helps them learn to know, love, & serve Christ. Encourage your child to invite a friend.
Alliance Women Welcome Brunch, Saturday, August 16, 10:00 am, at the home of Cheryl Green. Bring a breakfast casserole, fruit tray, or bread to share. We will be welcoming our IW’s who are here on home assignment.
FRIENDS is back together again! They will begin meeting on Friday, August 22 at noon in the Fellowship Hall. All ladies of all ages are invited to come and enjoy the food, fellowship, and fun. You will need to bring a lunch dish to share with others. Join with Friends this fall!
Ministry Opportunity - Once again, this year FACT is serving our community by doing concessions at the SCHS football game. We need a team of about 12 people to work from 5:30 - 9:00 pm on Friday, August 29th. If you can help, please let Pastor Luke know as soon as possible.
Labor Day Pig Pick'n
On Sunday, August 31 at 6 pm on the ballfield, we will be celebrating Labor Day with our annual Pig Pickin'. The church will provide meat and drinks. Please bring a dish to share using the guide below.
A-F Green Salad or Coleslaw
G-K Dessert
L-Q Beans
R-Z Potato Salad or Macaroni and Cheese
Come and join us for food, fun, music, fellowship, and to hear from our IW's home on furlough. We need to know how many are coming, so please let us know HERE or call the church office by August 29. We'll set up some tables and chairs, but feel free to bring blankets, lawn chairs or canopies for your family. Invite a friend who doesn't attend another church to come with you. Mark your calendar now and plan to join us for the fun!
MONTHLY PRAYER FOCUS
Give Thanks In Expectation
As we conclude one ministry year and get ready to start a new one, give thanks for how the Lord has been with us during the 2024-2025 ministry year – for how He has been at work among us, for new FACT family relationships, and for spiritual growth both individually and together. Praise Him for His faithful presence and provision as Savior, Sanctifier, Healer, and Coming King. As we look toward the 2025-2026 ministry year, begin by quieting your heart and inviting the Spirit to speak to us as His sacred people. Are you open to what He wants to do in and through us as biblical, loving, Spirit-filled disciples in our community, region, and world in response to His sacred calling? How does He want to challenge us for Gospel growth in this sacred time? Will we live with a ready expectation as we continue to connect, grow, and engage together seeking where God is at work and joining Him there in the sacred power of the Spirit?
All OF JESUS FOR ALL THE WORLD
Alliance Ministries
Kosovo
Pray for a local friend of a C&MA IW who recently lost her infant son to a genetic disease. Her twin daughter has also been tested and found to have the disease but is asymptomatic so far. Pray for God?s miraculous healing for her daughter and for God to use this tragedy to open her heart to putting her faith in God.
Burkina Faso
Pray for the intensive sewing school being offered this summer for young women. This will provide a practical skill, especially for displaced and girls at risk.
Pray that visas would be secured for a family planning to visit our area this summer. Pray for members of our team as they return after a brief home assignment.
Highlights
Office Hours
Tuesday - Friday
10am - 5pm
Sunday 7/27
Coffee & Connection
10:00 am, FH
Worship Service
Student Sunday
Kingdom Kids
Nursery & Toddlers
10:30 am
Sanctuary & livestream
Wednesday 7/30
Prayer for Revival
12:00 pm, Sanctuary
Prayer Meeting
6:30 pm, Library
Youth Lake Day
Lake Hartwell
Saturday 8/2
Men’s Prayer Meeting
8:00 am, Library
Sunday 8/3
Coffee & Connection
10:00 am, FH
Worship Service
Kingdom Kids
Nursery & Toddlers
10:30 am
Sanctuary & livestream
LOOKING AHEAD
8/13, AWANA Leader Training Night
8/16, Alliance Women’s Brunch
8/18, Elder’s Meeting
8/19, Admin Board Meeting
8/20, Risk Management
8/22, Friends
8/24, Kingdom Kids Leadership Training
8/27, AWANA Kick-Off Fair
8/29, Concessions at SCHS
8/31, Labor Day Pig Pickin’
FH = Fellowship Hall
FLC = Family Life Center
Next Steps
Do you have questions about First Alliance Church Toccoa? Take some time to explore FACToccoa.com or call or contact the church office.
If you are ready to take a next step to Connect, Grow, & Engage together as a part of First Alliance, let us know via a Next Steps Card, visit the Welcome Center if on campus, or call or contact the church office.
Need Prayer?
Are things going on in your life? Is God challenging you and you would like to talk to someone? Following the service, some of our elders and their wives are available for prayer in the Prayer Room (off the lobby near the restrooms). You can also Request Prayer if joining online.
You can submit Prayer Requests via a Next Steps Card, by contacting the church office, online at FACToccoa.com/prayer, through the FACT App, or by calling the church office. When you need prayer, we’re here for you.
Giving
Giving is one of the ways we respond to God in worship. We are able to gather & go locally, regionally, and globally through the consistent, generous tithes and offerings given. Here’s how you can give:
Check/Cash in a Giving Box or mailed in
Online via FACT app or this website.
Text Give to 706-567-7379
Online options are safe, secure, and can be used to set up automated giving.
Get Connected
There’s an easy way for you to subscribe (or unsubscribe) to the various FACT e-newsletters. Visit FACToccoa.com/newsletters to subscribe to FACT news (weekly FACTs You Can Use and occasional other updates), prayer requests, men’s opportunities, women’s opportunities, FACTyouth Parents Update, or Married People Monthly.