A MESSAGE FROM REV. J.C. AUSTIN: Engaging the Biblical Witness While the day of Easter is now behind us, we are in the season of Easter in the Christian calendar, which runs between Easter and Pentecost (May 23). The season of Easter, not surprisingly, focuses on celebrating the resurrection, and...
A MESSAGE FROM REV. J.C. AUSTIN: PREPARING FOR THIS HOLIEST OF WEEKS Friends, as you are reading this, we are already into Holy Week, with our Maundy Thursday service having taken place last night. Tonight marks the next step in our Holy Week journey with the Good Friday Tenebrae service,...
A MESSAGE FROM REV. J.C. AUSTIN: AN UPDATE ON CONGREGATIONAL SINGING I’ve been asked by several people recently about when we might be considering a return to indoor, in-person worship. The Session’s Building Reopening Task Force has been hard at work on that very question for months, which of course...
A MESSAGE FROM REV. J.C. AUSTIN: Looking ahead to Holy Week Next Sunday, March 28, is Palm Sunday, which begins Holy Week, the most important time of the year on the Christian calendar. I want to talk a little bit this week about what Holy Week will look like this...
A MESSAGE FROM REV. J.C. AUSTIN: RESILIENCE – SUPPORT – FAITHFULNESS – LOVE As you all know, this Sunday marks the one-year anniversary of our congregational response to the pandemic. On March 15, 2020, we went to “digital-only” worship for the first time. I remember how conflicted I was about...
A MESSAGE FROM REV. J.C. AUSTIN: Fulfilling an important role that has been anticipated and prepared As I write these words on Thursday, March 4, it is the three-year anniversary of my “installation” as Pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Bethlehem. In the Presbyterian Church (USA), there are two types...
A MESSAGE FROM REV. SUE BENNETCH: Preparing for a Storm I live close to Shop-Rite and can see their parking lot from my window. It is convenient for me for quick grocery trips or full orders. When a storm is forecast, the lots are filled to capacity as people rush...
A MESSAGE FROM REV. J.C. AUSTIN: INDISCRIMINATE KINDNESS As most of you have realized, music of all kinds is very important to me in terms of my life and faith. Music is one of the most powerful ways that I experience God’s gifts of beauty, truth, meaning, love, and power;...
A MESSAGE FROM REV. J.C. AUSTIN: THE REAL MEANING OF LENT Friends, as I mentioned last week, we are coming up on the beginning of Lent, with Ash Wednesday happening this coming week. Our Ash Wednesday Service will take place at 7 p.m. via Zoom (see the details on page...
A MESSAGE FROM REV. J.C. AUSTIN: REFLECTIONS ON COMMUNION This Sunday is the first Sunday of February, and so, as usual, we will be celebrating the sacrament instituted by Jesus with his disciples at the Last Supper before his arrest that began the sequence of events we recall every year...
FPCB’s Discipleship Committee’s learning opportunities are always open to anyone interested in participating. ** On January 6 we presented “Creating Your Spiritual Family Tree”; if you missed it you can watch it here. You can also download the document here to print it. NOTE: The video begins with a short...
Many thanks to our Sunday School teachers and friends for bringing our Sunday School experience to us at home! Please share this with a friend who may like it too. In addition to these prerecorded videos, we offer an “in person” Sunday School experience via Zoom, each Sunday between 10:15-10:45...
A MESSAGE FROM REV. J.C. AUSTIN: Preparing for Ash Wednesday Friends, it may be hard to believe, but we’re only a few weeks away from the start of Lent! Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent, is Wednesday, February 17. We are going to observe Ash Wednesday this year digitally,...
A MESSAGE FROM REV. J.C. AUSTIN: CALLING OUR LEADERSHIP Friends, the Annual Meeting of the Congregation and Corporation of First Presbyterian Church of Bethlehem is coming up on Sunday, January 31, at 11 a.m. via Zoom. At this meeting, we will hear reports from the Session, the Board of Trustees,...
A MESSAGE FROM REV. J.C. AUSTIN: The universal call As you probably know, Presbyterians talk a LOT about the idea of “call,” of vocation; of being gifted and commissioned by God to particular kinds of ministry, and even particular place and contexts to which one is called. In two weeks,...
A MESSAGE FROM REV. J.C. AUSTIN “Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep” (Romans 12:15) This comes from the Apostle Paul towards the end of his letter to the Romans, in a section in which he is giving a whole series of instructions to them about how...
A MESSAGE FROM REV. SUE BENNETCH: The Spirit of Giving Whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. – Col. 3:15 Dear friends, I would like to thank you for your generosity, creativity and support...
A MESSAGE FROM REV. J.C. AUSTIN: Waiting and Preparing Three years ago, I began serving as your pastor at the beginning of Advent. As I’ve said before, there is a certain…burden…that comes with using the initials “J.C.” as a pastor, since many people immediately make the connection with those being...
A MESSAGE FROM REV. J.C. AUSTIN: Grieving Our Losses For the second year in a row, a snowstorm has disrupted our “Longest Night” Service, this year postponing it to the actual “longest night:” the winter solstice on Monday, December 21. As I’ve said previously, this is an important service in...
A MESSAGE FROM REV. SUE BENNETCH: Looking ahead to our Longest Night Service The year 2020 is going to be an unforgettable one. We as a church will remember how we met on Facebook each Sunday morning for services. How we quickly adapted to physical distancing, mask-wearing and hand sanitizer....
A MESSAGE FROM REV. J.C. AUSTIN: STEWARDSHIP DEDICATION SUNDAY PLANS Presbyterians have not historically done “testimonials” as a common element of our worship tradition. I think that’s partly because we’ve tended to equate them with a sort of spirituality that can tend towards a one-upmanship about who has the most...
A MESSAGE FROM REV. J.C. AUSTIN: WAITING AND WATCHING Happy New Year! This Sunday marks the beginning of a new year on the Christian calendar, with the first Sunday of Advent. I’m bringing this up for two reasons. First, I figured any excuse to put this most recent year behind...
A MESSAGE FROM REV. J.C. AUSTIN: with both supplication and thanksgiving In Paul’s letter to the Philippians, he says, “Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” There’s actually quite a bit of theological significance in...
FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF BETHLEHEM’S DISCIPLESHIP CLASSES & RACIAL JUSTICE MINISTRY Rev. J.C. Austin’s special message of June 6: Opposing Racial Injustice Spotlight Newsletter Article: “More Than Good Intentions” Links to videos of previous Discipleship classes are at the bottom of this page. We are undertaking an active response to...
A MESSAGE FROM REV. J.C. AUSTIN: A BIT DIFFERENTLY It is hard to believe it, but Thanksgiving is two weeks from today, and Advent begins the Sunday of Thanksgiving weekend! As we head into what will obviously be a very different kind of holiday season, I want to talk about...
A MESSAGE FROM REV. J.C. AUSTIN: THE EXPERIMENTS CONTINUE On Wednesday night, we held our most recent in-person outdoor service, this time a special service to pray for healing for our nation amidst all the social concerns and political divisions that we are experiencing, especially in the context of a...
A MESSAGE FROM REV. J.C. AUSTIN: RESPONDING WITH FAITH, HOPE AND LOVE Last Sunday, we gathered for our most recent “hybrid” worship service, in which we not only combined worship styles as we do periodically (incorporating both traditional and contemporary worship elements into one service), but also combined in-person, outdoor...
A MESSAGE FROM REV. J.C. AUSTIN: A RESPONSE TO UNPRECEDENTED TIMES It has become a cliché to talk about how we are living through “unprecedented” times in 2020, but it is a cliché for the simple reason that it is true. There are partial precedents, of course, most notably the...
A MESSAGE FROM REV. J.C. AUSTIN: RESPONDING AS A CONGREGATION It has been said that any budget is a “moral document,” meaning that it articulates the moral priorities and values of those who created and administrate that budget. Jesus agreed with that idea when he taught that “where your treasure...
A MESSAGE FROM REV. J.C. AUSTIN: AN EXPERIMENTAL CHURCH For the last three years, we’ve identified as an “experimental church.” If you play out the metaphor of the scientific method there, you have a sense of how we approach ministry. In a scientific experiment, you start with a question, usually...
A MESSAGE FROM REV. J.C. AUSTIN: AN INDIVIDUAL MINISTRY One of the things I have heard the most from people over the last six months is their surprise about how effective digital versions of worship and education have been for our church. I don’t mean that we’re doing a version...
A MESSAGE FROM REV. J.C. AUSTIN: A new option to connect One of the blessings that has emerged for me in the midst of everything that is so painful about the pandemic has been groups of pastors from across the country (and actually, across the world) who have connected online...
A MESSAGE FROM REV. J.C. AUSTIN: Exploring and evaluating ‘in person’ options “Are you open?” This question has been floating around church circles (and, indeed, faith communities beyond Christianity) for several months now, as states began lifting some of the restrictions on public assembly and organizational operations. When it comes...
A MESSAGE FROM REV. J.C. AUSTIN: CALLING OUR LEADERSHIP Before I left for a short vacation in August, I told you that the Session would be calling a Special Congregational Meeting in the early fall to recommend some changes to you about the “terms of call” for me as your...
A MESSAGE FROM REV. J.C. AUSTIN: IN PERSON AS WELL AS IN SPIRIT Last Sunday was a new experiment for us as a church, as over 70 people gathered outdoors in front of the church building for our first in-person worship service since early March! If you were not able...
A MESSAGE FROM REV. J.C. AUSTIN: LOOKING AHEAD TO SUNDAY People have asked me from time to time what’s the hardest part about digital worship, and for me, the answer is very clear: I’m preaching to a camera instead of to people in the room. I don’t mean it’s hard...
A MESSAGE FROM REV. J.C. AUSTIN: The dog days of summer We are in what is sometimes called “the dog days” of summer. I always assumed that was just a colloquial expression, probably from the American South, about the hottest part of summer because it drove dogs mad or something....
A MESSAGE FROM REV. SUE BENNETCH: AT THE TOP OF OUR LIST During the last five months, the Covid-19 virus has been utmost on our minds and hearts. Pennsylvania has approximately 118,000 confirmed cases. With this number climbing, we all probably know someone who has come down with the disease,...
A MESSAGE FROM REV. SUE BENNETCH: CALMING THE DISTRESS Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he brought them out from their distress. He made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed. Then they were glad because they had quiet, and he...
A MESSAGE FROM REV. J.C. AUSTIN: GETTING IN GOOD TROUBLE As I’ve mentioned in a few sermons, the concept of “home” is a little complicated for me. I was born in Tennessee but have no memory of those years; I moved around several times in my preschool years. I spent...
A MESSAGE FROM REV. J.C. AUSTIN: The Work Continues On Tuesday evening, we concluded the initial offering of our 21-Day Racial Justice Immersion Project with a Zoom gathering of participants to reflect on what they had experienced, and to consider possible next steps in their own ministry of antiracism and...
A MESSAGE FROM REV. J.C. AUSTIN: Advent in July This has been a particularly difficult week for many people, which is saying something, given the challenges of an average week these past few months. The recent resurgence of the virus throughout most of the country has been disconcerting, particularly since...
A MESSAGE FROM REV. J.C. AUSTIN: ALREADY BEGINNING TO HAPPEN When I was a child, Advent always made a lot more sense to me than Lent. In the Christian church, we typically talk about Advent as a season of waiting, and that’s exactly what Advent felt like: waiting for Christmas...
A MESSAGE FROM REV. J.C. AUSTIN: CHRIST THE KING SUNDAY This coming Sunday is the last Sunday of the Christian year; “New Year’s Day” on the Christian calendar is the first Sunday of Advent, which is December 1 this year. But it is not simply the last Sunday of the...
Wednesday, Nov. 27: Thanksgiving Eve Service, 7 p.m. On Thanksgiving Eve, we gather together in worship to celebrate the many ways God has blessed us to be a blessing. This is a joyous service of music and praise, with heartfelt testimonials from members sharing stories of thankfulness.
This Sunday (Nov. 17) First Pres is hosting an event by the Bethlehem Interfaith Group from 2:30 – 5 p.m. The event is focused on the theme of stories of immigration, and will include several people from different faith traditions sharing their own immigration story, an opportunity to reflect on...
A MESSAGE FROM REV. J.C. AUSTIN: PLEDGE DEDICATION SUNDAY For the last few weeks in worship, we’ve been exploring the mission priorities that the Session has identified for First Pres over the next couple of years: engaging new people and nurturing their faith and discipleship; ministry with children, youth, and...
As you know, this year our annual stewardship campaign is focused on the mission priorities the Session has identified for our congregation over the next few years, and on an ambitious and exciting plan to help us answer God’s call to us through those priorities. If you haven’t already received...
A MESSAGE FROM REV. J.C. AUSTIN: BUILDING OUR CAPACITY Last week I spent three days at the “Stewardship Kaleidoscope” conference of the Presbyterian Church (USA). I’ve taught and/or spoken at the conference since it was created about a decade ago, and it is still one of my favorite dimensions of...
A MESSAGE FROM REV. J.C. AUSTIN: WORLD COMMUNION SUNDAY What unites us is greater than what divides us The first Sunday in October is celebrated by many different Christian denominations as World Communion Sunday. We observe World Communion Sunday as a way of lifting up Christian unity and the commonality...
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...