1. Name and Address of Reporting Person
   GARNER, JAMES H.
   116 GARNER BRITT DRIVE
   ROBBINS, NC 27325
2. Issuer Name and Ticker or Trading Symbol
   FIRST BANCORP (FBNC)
3. IRS or Social Security Number of Reporting Person (Voluntary)
4. Statement for Month/Year
   2002
5. If Amendment, Date of Original (Month/Day/Year)
6. Relationship of Reporting Person(s) to Issuer (Check all applicable)
   ( ) Director                   ( ) 10% Owner
   (X) Officer (give title below) ( ) Other (specify below)
   PRESIDENT/CEO
7. Individual or Joint/Group Filing (Check Applicable Line)
   (X) Form filed by One Reporting Person
   ( ) Form filed by More than One Reporting Person

TABLE I -- Non-Derivative Securities Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned

+---------------------------------+----------+-------------+-----------------------------+----------------+-----------+------------+
|1. Title of Security             |2. Trans- |3. Trans-    |4. Securities Acquired (A)   |5. Amount of    |6. Owner-  |7. Nature   |
|                                 |   action |   action    |   or Disposed of (D)        |   Securities   |   ship    |   of In-   |
|                                 |   Date   |   Code      |                             |   Beneficially |   Form:   |   direct   |
|                                 |          |             |                             |   Owned at     |   Direct  |   Bene-    |
|                                 |  (Month/ |             |                             |   End of       |   (D) or  |   ficial   |
|                                 |   Day/   |             +-----------+------+----------+   Year         |   Indirect|   Owner-   |
|                                 |   Year)  |             |Amount     |A/D   |Price     |                |   (I)     |   ship     |
+---------------------------------+----------+-------------+-----------+------+----------+----------------+-----------+------------+
                                                                                               
Common Stock                       08/26/2002 L             1.9802      A      $25.2500                    D
Common Stock                       09/25/2002 L             2.0408      A      $24.5000                    D
Common Stock                       10/25/2002 L             2.083       A      $24.0000                    D
Common Stock                       11/25/2002 L             1.9608      A      $25.5000                    D
Common Stock                       12/26/2002 L             2.0704      A      $24.1500   23569.9167       D
Common Stock                                                                              6921             I           401K PLAN





TABLE II -- Derivative Securities Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned

+-------------+--------+----------+---------+-----------+---------------------+----------------+----------+--------+-------+-------+
|1.           |2.      |3.        |4.       |5.         |6.                   |7.              |8.        |9.      |10.    |11.    |
|             |        |          |         |           |                     |                |          |Number  |Owner- |       |
|             |        |          |         |           |                     |                |          |of      |ship   |       |
|             |        |          |         |           |                     |                |          |Deriv-  |Form of|       |
|             |        |          |         |           |                     |Title and Amount|          |ative   |Deriv- |       |
|             |        |          |         |           |                     |of Underlying   |          |Secur-  |ative  |Nature |
|             |Conver- |          |         |Number of  |                     |Securities      |          |ities   |Secur- |of     |
|             |sion or |          |         |Derivative |Date Exercisable     +-------+--------+          |Benefi- |ity:   |In-    |
|             |Exercise|          |         |Securities |and Expiration Date  |       |Amount  |          |cially  |Direct |direct |
|             |Price of|Transac-  |Transac- |Acquired(A)|(Month/Day/Year)     |       |or      |          |Owned   |(D) or |Bene-  |
|Title of     |Deriv-  |tion Date |tion Code|Disposed(D)+----------+----------+       |Number  |Price of  |at End  |In-    |ficial |
|Derivative   |ative   |(Month/   |         +-----+-----+Date Exer-|Expira-   |       |of      |Derivative|of      |direct |Owner- |
|Security     |Security|Day/Year) |         |(A)  |(D)  |cisable   |tion Date |Title  |Shares  |Security  |Year    |(I)    |ship   |
+-------------+--------+----------+---------+-----+-----+----------+----------+-------+--------+----------+--------+-------+-------+
                                                                                     
Stock Options  $7.083                                               12/14/2004 Common                      6560     D
(Right to buy)                                                                 Stock
Stock Options  $17.333                                              04/30/2009 Common                      12000    D
(Right to buy)                                                                 Stock

Explanation of Responses:


SIGNATURE OF REPORTING PERSON
/s/ JAMES H. GARNER

DATE
01/13/2003