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...

It’s time to beautify your surroundings with luscious fall mums, in a variety of colors – at an affordable price! The FPCB Preschool is offering 9” potted mums for sale; orders will be taken through Monday, September 16. Print off your order form here (they are also available in information...

UPDATE: The two buses are full! If you would like to join us, you are welcome to ‘drive yourself’: please arrive at First Pres (see below for details) and you can follow the bus. Please contact us at info@fpc-bethlehem.org or 610-867-5865 by Thursday, Sept. 12 so we know you’re coming....

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 SPECIAL MESSAGE ABOUT THE LOG COLLEGE PROJECT PROCESS From Rev. J.C. Austin: Earlier this summer, Julia Pedroso and Sophia Pedroso, two of our youth, attended the Design Lab for the Log College Project at Princeton Seminary, which is helping us to design a new model for doing youth ministry....

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...

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...

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...