When I came to Bethlehem, the first clergy colleague in the area who reached out to me was not a Presbyterian pastor, nor even a Christian pastor, but Rabbi Michael Singer, the rabbi at Congregation Brith Shalom here in Bethlehem. He took me out to lunch because he wanted to...
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...
A MESSAGE FROM PASTOR J.C. AUSTIN: Taking a ‘Do-Over’ As a child, I used to play a lot of wiffle ball in the backyard with neighborhood friends. If you don’t know it, wiffle ball is essentially baseball with special plastic balls and bats that allows you to play baseball in...
On Monday mornings from March 4 – May 13, join other adults who come from all over the Lehigh Valley to learn something new and make new friends. Our first presentation on March 4 will feature Rev. Sue Bennetch speaking on “5 Wishes”, followed by former agent Russ D’Entrone sharing...
A MESSAGE FROM PASTOR SUE BENNETCH: H.A.L.T.! Have you ever heard of the acronym H.A.L.T.? Well, it stands for hungry, angry, lonely and tired. Support groups, counselors and others use it to remind people that if they get too hungry, too angry, too lonely or too tired, they should reach...
A MESSAGE FROM PASTOR J.C. AUSTIN: The Future of the Christian Church This past week, I was in Atlanta for two days to meet with the board of Macedonian Ministry – a clergy development organization that was founded by Tom Tewell, one-time associate pastor here at First Presbyterian of Bethlehem,...
Every week at our church staff meeting, the team does a “Looking Back, Looking Forward” exercise in which we all take a moment to look back at the major accomplishments of the previous week, before turning to the priorities that are coming up for us as individuals and as a...
A MESSAGE FROM PASTOR J.C. AUSTIN: Annual Meeting and More I want to draw your attention to some big and special things that are happening on Sunday, February 10. First, the Session has called the Annual Meeting of the Congregation & Corporation of First Presbyterian Church for that Sunday. One...
A MESSAGE FROM PASTOR J.C. AUSTIN: A Special Blessing – Our Retired Pastors This past week there was an article entitled “Retired Pastors Enrich Congregations” in the Presbyterian Outlook (the main independent publication in the Presbyterian Church (USA)). It detailed how the First Presbyterian Church in Sarasota, Florida has a...
A Message from Pastor J.C. Austin: “Kubernesis” – A Gift of the Spirit Did you know that administration is a spiritual gift? When we talk about spiritual gifts, it’s usually things that feel a little more…spiritual. When I was working in theological education before coming to First Pres, I was...
A year ago, as we resumed operational control of the church property at 2344 Center Street, the Session decided to schedule a contemporary-style worship service at 9 am and a traditional-style service at 10:30 am each week, more or less matching the worship practice in recent years for the congregation....
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...