NEW! AUGUST READING GROUP DATES ANNOUNCED The August reading group will meet on two Wednesdays – August 14 and 21 – from 1-2:30 p.m. in the Parlor. All are welcome! They will be discussing: Stony the Road: Reconstruction, White Supremacy, and the Rise of Jim Crow by Henry Louis Gates,...
A MESSAGE FROM REV. SUE BENNETCH: Safe and Grateful FPCB’s Bereavement Support Group met last Sunday at our new location – The Eagle Room at Kirkland Village Marketplace. We enjoyed a nice lunch and the company of compassionate friends who shared their feelings, new insights, surprises and experiences as a...
A MESSAGE FROM REV. SUE BENNETCH: Staying in the Distance Over the 4th of July I had the opportunity to spend some time with my family at the NJ shore. We had some very good beach days and took full advantage of them. Once settled in “our spot” I noticed...
A MESSAGE FROM PASTOR J.C. AUSTIN: More on the Log College Project As I mentioned in this message last week, the Log College Project that we have been involved in for the last year through the Institute for Youth Ministry at Princeton Theological Seminary, reached an important milestone this past...
FPCB”s Hospitality Committee is pleased to bring back last summer’s popular “Lemonade on the Lawn” – our fellowship time from 10-10:30 a.m. held on the back lawn. This ministry is part of our “Welcoming to All” core value. If you come to the Contemporary service at 9:00 a.m. – stay...
A MESSAGE FROM PASTOR J.C. AUSTIN: #AnActiveFaith We are now halfway through our sermon series about the Core Values Statement of First Presbyterian Church. Our first two weeks were on the values of us being a “Christ-centered” church, and being a church that is “Welcoming to All.” This Sunday, we...
“All Together in One Place” by Rev. J.C. Austin This Sunday is Pentecost, the Christian holiday celebrating the gift of the Holy Spirit to Christ’s disciples, just as he promised would happen, and which effectively created the Christian church as a movement. It’s a dramatic story that takes place in...
A MESSAGE FROM PASTOR J.C. AUSTIN: Living our #CoreValues For the month of June, I am going to be preaching a four-part sermon series called “#CoreValues,” based on the four Core Values of First Presbyterian Church of Bethlehem that the Session has codified. If you were at the Annual Congregational...
A MESSAGE FROM PASTOR J.C. AUSTIN: A ‘welcoming’ church Back when I was in conversation with this church’s search committee here about the possibility of serving as your pastor, one of the first and most consistent themes that I heard was that this is a church that is “welcoming.” I...
A MESSAGE FROM PASTOR SUE BENNETCH: Serving our church together One of my favorite books of the Bible is The Acts of the Apostles. It tells a wonderful and rich story of how the followers of Jesus were empowered by the Holy Spirit to go among their communities and tell...
A MESSAGE FROM PASTOR J.C. AUSTIN: A New Way to Look at the Parables Two thousand years later, Jesus’ ministry of teaching continues to hold great power. Even people who are not Christian find great wisdom and constructive challenge in his teachings. And at the heart of Jesus’ teachings are...
A MESSAGE FROM PASTOR J.C. AUSTIN: On the Road Since Easter, I have largely been on the road (aside from Sundays!) for two major commitments that I’d like to let you know about. In different ways, they both have an impact on the ministry we are doing right here in...
NEW LEARNING OPPORTUNITY: “How to Support LGBT Spirituality” Wednesday, May 8 6:30 – 8 p.m. in Fellowship Hall NOTE: You are welcome to come to the May 8 session even if you did not attend the one on May 1. Join in two lively and engaging presentations on supporting the...
As we did last year, we will be offering a Community Lenten Supper series, beginning Wednesday, March 13 through Wednesday, April 10. All are welcome. We’ll gather at 6 p.m. for a simple meal. This will be followed by a brief reflection, led by one of the pastors in our church, focusing...
Jim and Minnie McKnight were Presbyterian missionaries who served for 15 years prior to World War II in the Sudan region of Africa. Their family and friends established an endowed fund at First Presbyterian to honor the McKnights and to encourage individuals to participate in the life-changing experience of visiting...
HEARTS AND MINDS will start this year in room 400 with an examination of Quaker author Philip Gulley’s provocative and engaging classic, “If the Church were Christian: Rediscovering the Values of Jesus.” As Gulley notes, “It is apparent, after several millennia of experimentation, that the Ten Commandments we Christians all know and...
By Leslie Pohl FPCB Elder Imagine for a moment that you have to walk two hours just to get to a doctor’s appointment. Imagine for a moment that your children can’t go to school because you can’t afford their uniforms, books, or lunch. Imagine for a moment that your cataracts are so...