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...
A MESSAGE FROM PASTOR J.C. AUSTIN: Reaching Out to All Christ-Centered – In everything we do, we strive to follow Jesus Christ faithfully through the authority and insight of God’s Word and Spirit, to imitate Christ in how we treat others. Welcoming to All – Because our unity is in...
As this newsletter is published, we are in the midst of what the medieval church began calling the Triduum (“TRID-you-um”), which is simply Latin for “three days.” The Triduum begins on Thursday evening of Holy Week with the observance of Maundy Thursday, when Jesus had his Last Supper with his...
This Sunday is Palm Sunday, the beginning of Holy Week, the most important week of the Christian calendar. Palm Sunday is a day of celebration, recalling the triumphal entry of Christ into Jerusalem, when crowds of people lined the streets, waved palms, and laid branches and cloaks on the ground...
A MESSAGE FROM PASTOR J.C. AUSTIN: Involving Everyone in Worship The sacrament of Communion is both a command and a gift to the church by Christ, and is one of the central acts of worship that we do together as a congregation. Here at First Pres, we celebrate Communion on...
Over the past year, the Session and its committees have been working on a mind-boggling range of things to strengthen, focus, and guide our congregation into a new era of ministry together. This has meant everything from new worship experiences, to a new staffing design, to new initiatives for children’s...
A Message from Rev. J.C. Austin: Log College Project Update As you may remember, First Pres was named as one of twelve congregations (out of several hundred applicants from across the country and a wide range of denominations) to participate in the “Log College Project” of Princeton Theological Seminary’s Institute...
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...
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...