First Presbyterian Church

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What is "The Gathering?"

The Gathering is a brief time of worship, coffee, and fellowship before
Sunday School. A music ensemble will lead us in praise and worship music. Each
week we will hear a brief testimony by someone who will tell us about where he
or she has seen God at work. We will offer "good" coffee and snacks, and our
time will be casual and relaxed.

Who is "The Gathering" for?"

The Gathering is for all ages, from the very youngest to the most seasoned.

"And Jesus said to them, "Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men." - Mk 1:17

On Sunday at our church-wide picnic, Mollie caught her first fish at the Freeman pond. She was very excited and informed me that we needed to go to Walmart and buy her a fishing pole. She was as hooked as the fish she caught.

Now I don’t at all consider myself a fisherman, but one thing I do know is this: you have to use the right bait to catch the kind of fish you want. Some fish will respond to "hand tied flies;" others will respond to gummy like lures; still others like live worms. If you don’t use the right bait, you will spend a lot of time standing on the shore looking like a dummy!

As I reflect on this "truth" of fishing, it is clear to me that it is applicable to our efforts to share the good news about Jesus. The first disciples were fishermen; and Jesus told them that if they followed him, he would make them "fishers of men." We too are followers of Jesus, and we too are expected to "fish" for people. As we seek to follow the Great Commission, we need to figure out what kind of bait we will use.

Today’s "fish" respond to different bait than "fish" of yesteryear. If we try fish for people today using "bait" that they don’t like...well, we will do a lot of standing around without much result. So, if we want to be effective in our desire to follow Jesus and be "fishers" of people, we will have to try new "bait."

Beginning on September 12^th, we will be trying something new in an effort to reach some of the "fish" in our community. We are beginning a Sunday morning "kickoff" that we are calling "The Gathering." It will be a time of fellowship and worship focused on getting our Sundays started with energy and enthusiasm. The music for the gathering will be praise and worship music similar to what you might hear on a Christian radio station. A group of musicians will lead us in singing praise to God. There will be good coffee and snacks. Each week a member of our congregation will share with the group where he or she sees God at work in our church and in the lives of our people.

"The Gathering" will begin at 9:30 a.m. and will conclude around 9:50 a.m. Following "the Gathering" everyone will be encouraged to move to one of our Sunday school classes for the morning’s lesson. Our Sunday school time will conclude by 10:45 a.m. and our regular morning worship will begin at 11 a.m. In an effort to meet the different needs of our congregation, the John Knox Sunday school class will continue to meet at the regular time of 9:30 a.m. All other classes - adults, youth, and children - will begin when "the Gathering" has concluded.

Elsewhere in the newsletter there is a more complete description of "The Gathering." I encourage you to read it to find out how it has come about and what we hope to accomplish through it.

I ask that you pray for God’s blessings on our endeavor to "fish" for people to follow Jesus, and I invite you to join us on September 12 at 9:30 a.m. in the fellowship hall.

Grace and peace be with you all!

Your friend and pastor,

Pastor Lee

Pastor Zehmer has the following sermons planned:

August 29, 2010
Luke 15:1-10; 1 Tim 1:12-17
The Joy of Being Found

September 5, 2010 - Sacrament of the Lord's Supper
Psalm 150:1-6
Praise the Lord!

September 12, 2010
Pastor Lee will lead a five week series of sermons with the title: Five Questions To Diagnose Your Spiritual Health.
John 4:7-15; Psalm 42:1-2
Five Questions: Do You Thirst for God?

September 19, 2010
Psalm 1:1-6;119:105; 2 Timothy 3:16-17

Please click here for a listing of Ministry Team Moderators for the 2010-2011 year.

Former chaplain of the U.S. Senate, Richard Halverson once wrote: “The maximum impact of the church of Jesus Christ in history in the world is not the impact of great and eloquent preachers or denominations, or church hierarchies, or even popes, priests, or cardinals, or all of the programs that the church has invented. The maximum impact of the church of Jesus Christ is the influence of the aggregate of believers where they are between Sundays.”

In my last posting, I explained that we now find ourselves living in a time of high velocity change where the perception of truth is based not on some unchanging constant but on the experience of the individual. In addition, the once prominent place of protestant Christianity in our nation has given way to religious pluralism and an increasing secularism. What we are finding as a result is that the ministries developed in that simpler time, which were good and appropriate, just don't seem to have the same impact on people today, and church participation in many denominations have plateaued or are in decline.

“So the churches were strengthened in the faith and increased in numbers daily.” - Acts 16:5

You may have heard the phrase “Acts 16:5” used around church by the elders and deacons and been wondering what it is. Well, it is obviously a reference to a verse in the book of Acts which is quoted above, but it is also an initiative sponsored by Salem Presbytery in which the churches take disciplined and intentional steps toward creating new ministries to reach new people while honoring and strengthening the work of present ministry.