A MESSAGE FROM REV. J.C. AUSTIN: Special Schedule on Sunday, September 22 The Session has called a special meeting of the congregation and corporation of First Presbyterian Church of Bethlehem for next Sunday, September 22, at 10 a.m. for three reasons. The first is to act on a report from...
A MESSAGE FROM REV. J.C. AUSTIN: Worshiping Around the Meal Table I’ve never been good about choosing favorites: a favorite movie, book, food, musician, etc. So much depends on my mood, season of life, and other factors. For me, it’s more like having a short list of things that are...
A MESSAGE FROM REV. J.C. AUSTIN: Enjoying the waning days of summer Even though students are back in school in Bethlehem, and people mostly wear white whenever they feel like it these days, it really doesn’t feel like the end of summer to me until Labor Day weekend. It’s like...
A MESSAGE FROM REV. Sue Bennetch: Stephen Ministry Returns to FPCB “The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ.” Ephesians 4:11-12 For many years...
A MESSAGE FROM REV. STEVE SIMMONS: A Remarkable American Experiment This past Tuesday marked the 145th birthday of a remarkable American experiment in “out of school vacation learning,” the Chautauqua Institution, which was founded by two Methodist laymen, Lewis Miller and John Heyl Vincent in 1884. Originally created for the...
A MESSAGE FROM REV. J.C. AUSTIN: Summer renewal The beginning of August is always a little strange for me. Generally, when it comes around I am either on vacation or about to depart, as I am this year; I’ll be taking about two weeks of vacation starting on Monday, August...
This Sunday afternoon, a group from First Pres will be seeing a production of the rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar at Northampton Community College. I’m pleased to have been invited to lead a discussion about the show after the performance, which is at 2 pm on Sunday. If you don’t...
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...