Church Blog (Page 9)
Bless This Meal
First Church Family, I haven’t lived here forever as some of you have, but I am amazed every day at the beauty of our surroundings. I truly believe our area is one of God’s beautiful paradises on earth. And this time of year, it is at its prettiest. Please stop every single day, admire God’s handiwork, and offer prayers of praise and gratitude. On Saturday, November 20, we will take a big step in getting back to who we were before…
All Saints’ Sunday
First Church Family, Over the past weeks, our worship focus has been on promises God makes to us, all across the Scriptures. Perhaps, the most significant promise is that of spending eternity with God in heaven because of Jesus’ sacrifice for us on the Cross and God’s redemptive act through Jesus’ Resurrection. This Sunday, November 7, is All Saints’ Day; a time we will recall the lives of those members of our congregation who have gone before us into God’s heavenly presence during the…
November News
First Church Family, I pray this newsletter finds you in good health and spirits. The year 2021 has been another challenging year, but God has used those challenges to bring us back to Him. Our faith has been strengthened, and our ministries have continued to enhance the lives of those both in our fold and also those outside of our family. As we move into November, commonly recognized as the month of thanksgiving, let us offer our hearts…
Fall Ministries
First Church Family, Fall ministries are underway and early winter plans are being made. Please read the following updates. Robbins Pre-SchoolWe have sixteen students in the program, and our Kendra Steube and Erika Murphy are doing a wonderful job with their care and instruction. Next Thursday at 11:00AM, we are doing a “Trunk or Treat” program with them, in which our staff will have Trick or Treat items for the children in the trunks of our cars. We would love to have 5 or 6 additional…
Lift Up Your Eyes
First Church Family, I pray that you are well, and are enjoying God’s gift of fall weather. The Psalmist writes: I lift up my eyes to the hills—from where will my help come?My help comes from the LORD,who made heaven and earth.Psalm 121:1-2 NRSV Though I love these verses all year, they are especially meaningful to me during the fall, when God’s creation is ablaze with color. What a privilege it is to live right where we…
God’s Earthly Paradise
First Church Family, I’ve shared several times that I love this time of year. September and October are glorious here in God’s earthly paradise. Let’s be sure not to forget to offer God our gratitude. Thank you for your partnership in ministry. We delivered 482 pounds of food to Yokefellow yesterday! And we have a load of snacks for our college food ministry at CCC&TI ready to deliver, as well. Soon, we will restock our West Caldwell High School. And, we served…
First Day of Autumn
First Church Family, Blessings to you on this first day of Autumn! The temperature is supposed to dip into the 40s tomorrow night. I can’t wait for that! I pray that you are living life to its fullest as we move into the final quarter of 2021. We are healthy as a congregation overall, and are striving to not let fear paralyze us over virus concerns. We continue to invite persons to join us for in-person worship. The vast majority of…
Slowing Down
First Church Family, It’s good to have settled back in after some days away. I’m using this brief message to share several important updates with you: Ivey is away with family this week, so many phone calls will be going to our staff voicemails. We will respond to your messages while she is away. The office will be back up and running this coming Monday. The wave of the Delta variant of COVID has forced us to slow down returning…
Living Water
Jesus said to the woman at the well, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.” The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water,so that I may never be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water.”John 4:13-15 NRSV Water…
Trip to Greece
First Church Family, I’m away in my favorite country other than our own, the beautiful country of Greece. I studied here in college, and later in graduate school, and then was able to be here with my daughter several years ago. Greece has an incredibly significant history. It was the birthplace of medicine, philosophy, theater, and democracy. And it has significance to our faith. The Apostle Paul established the Church at Corinth and wrote two lengthy treatises to members of that church…
September News
Dear First Church Family, I pray this newsletter finds you in good health and spirits. This past week has had its share of bad news: chaos and death in Afghanistan after our troop withdrawal, pain and loss in Haiti in the after-math of a powerful earthquake, flash flooding in western North Carolina and Tennessee that took lives and destroyed property, and rising COVID numbers in our community and state. I shared recently that September is one of my favorite months…
Trust in God
First Church Family, Monday is my sabbath. It is then that I take care of my gardens, catch up on devotional reading, and spend time with my family and friends. This past Monday I worked outside, canned vegetables for the winter, and caught up on some family things. But also, I monitored the plight of Haitians trying to recover from its latest challenge, watched in disbelief as Afghanistan was quickly turned back over to an oppressive regime, received information that our…