First Presbyterian Church

"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

I have lived with the call of Abram and Sarai over the past week in preparation for the sermon I delivered yesterday. As I continue to reflect on their story, I am amazed by their faith and courage that allowed them to leave all that was familiar to them and follow God into an unknown future.

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

On Sunday, August 1, Acts Alive will share with us about their recent mission trip to Jacksonville, Florida. While in Jacksonville, they worked with Builder's Care. For a sneak peek of their week, you may view this Builder's Care video. We look forward to seeing everyone in worship at 11:00 am on August 1 to hear from Acts Alive about their mission trip experience. Don't miss it!

Well, here we go again. For the fourth time since 1996, the Presbyterian Church USA will be debating and fighting over an amendment to our constitution dealing with the standards for ordination. Last week, the General Assembly of the PCUSA approved an amendment which would change the wording on who should be eligible for ordination to the office of Minister, Elder or Deacon. (I have included the actual text in a box below.) If you are thinking, “didn’t the church just vote on that,” you would be correct. A very similar amendment to the one below was defeated 78-95. in the spring of 2009.

Our 2010 Bible School will be held Wednesday, July 21 and Thursday, July 22 (5:45 until 8:00 including a light dinner), plus Friday, July 23 (10:00 until 1:00 including a family lunch). The theme is “This Special Book Called the Bible.” The leadership team consists of Adrianne Staten and Misty Priddy (preschool activities), Joy Harman and Anna Gobble (learning centers for the older children), Margie Clark and Terri Henderson (opening/closing assemblies).

Registration for Bible School is now open. Registration forms may be found on the bulletin board outside the fellowship hall, or you may click here for a PDF version you can print, complete, and either mail (PO Box 586, Lexington NC 27293) or fax (336-248-6626). You may also email the information or call either Donna Hurt or Jeanna Carlton in the church office (336-248-2140) and register over the phone.

In planning for next year, we encourage all women of our church family to consider joining a Circle where you can fellowship with each other while studying God’s Word. Please choose either the Morning (10:00 a.m., 1st Mondays) or Evening (7:30 p.m., 1st Mondays) Circle and call Gloria Bulluck, Betty Knox, or Carol Beck for details and to be included in the yearbook. Thank you!

We are beginning to make plans for our 5th adult trip to the Dominican Republic. This trip is a wonderful opportunity to put your faith into action and help our Dominican brothers and sisters in Christ.

God is active in our lives all the time, but sometimes we just don’t see where. If we happen to witness God’s hand in something obvious, I believe it is important to share the story. This helps us cultivate the ability to see God’s handiwork in both the subtle and not so subtle ways that God works. Recently, my family had a very clear “God - sighting” that I feel compelled to share.