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e-news for Dec 26, 2024

Dear FPC family and friends,

            We had quite an eventful session meeting the week before Christmas.  You may not realize this, but I am not a policy guy.  I would much rather build relationships with people than build policy around words and documents.  But policy and documents are crucial to keeping things decent and in order.  Without them you would simply descend into chaos, and, well, no one likes chaos, certainly not in a church.  We are blessed here at FPC with elders who are what might be called policy wonks.  In one meeting we were able to approve two substantial documents which comprised a grand total of nearly 20 pages of policy. 

            The first document which session approved to go to the congregation was our bylaws.  We have not had a set of bylaws for the congregation in place since the 1960’s.  The way our church government works is that the session approves the bylaws, but you as a congregation need to give the final approval by a 2/3 vote.  This will happen at our yearly congregational meeting on January 26.  The bylaws are basically a users manual for the church in how we do things that involve decision making and living out our life as followers of Jesus in this specific church.  Linda Younger took the lead on this committee and she had help.  Thank you to Bill Potter, Peter Witmer, Carolyn Groff, and Linda for your work on this.

            The second document which session approved, which does not need congregational approval, is the policy on child safety at First Presbyterian Church.  The last time that we took a serious pass at this document was almost 25 years ago.  Situations change, life in the church is not static, it evolves, and so do the supporting policies, especially those surrounding child safety.  I hope you will find the robustness of this document encouraging, while at the same time not limiting for programmatic success.  Once again Linda Younger headed this committee up.  She had a lot of help from Seth Gregory who was our scribe, Joyce Potter, David Edwards, Amanda Allison, and Dan Colvin.  This team worked hard and put in a lot of hours and came up with an incredibly thorough document.  Thank you all for a job well done, and thank you session for being willing to tackle two pretty heavy documents in a very busy time of the year.

            Session also made a decision about the state of the cleanliness of the church.  Trustees had recommended that we go back to using Kepiro cleaning service.  They had worked with us for a handful of years and did a wonderful job.  After Covid we tried to transition and we had thought with hiring an individual custodian we could have someone around the building doing odd jobs while at the same time cleaning the church.  We realized the work that Kepiro did for us was outstanding and we miss their ability to make our church look great.  This will be a substantial increase to our budget, but it is a sacrifice which we felt was necessary.

            It is the day after Christmas.  It is a time in the life of the church and in the life of all of our families to celebrate with joy the newborn king.  The pageant was heart warming and reminded us of why Jesus is Emmanuel, because in the children we see His face staring back at us.  The next time I will be writing to you it will be a brand-new year.  I pray that God will bless you and your families in a wonderfully meaningful way today and in the year to come.

Your servant in Christ,

Pastor Bob

            MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR

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e-news for Dec 18, 2024

What is Blue Christmas?  We had a saying in my family, while I was growing up: A place for everything and everything in its place. I don’t know if it ever really corralled all the sports equipment, books and lost socks. It taught me that all things belong, and that life will be more enjoyable if we give them a spot to belong.

Sometimes the Christmas season can be filled with so many extra, delightful and good things like shopping for (or making) the perfect gifts (that doesn’t bust the budget!), family visits that have been put off and are finally here, late bedtimes with excited children, gatherings around the table for the treats we all love, oh, and the cooking and the cookie making! (And, there’s that Elf who needs a different shelf every night…)

And just maybe you have some other things in your life that need a place to belong during this wonderful Advent season. That’s where Blue Christmas comes in.

Blue Christmas is a worship service designed to bring all the things that don’t fit in our joyful celebrations, but still long for the hope of Christmas. It will be an opportunity to rest from the pressures and remember that Emmanuel, God-with-us promises to see, heal and make a good and happy future for all the small, maybe even lost or broken but important pieces in our lives.

Blue Christmas will also be a time of prayer for other hurting people and places. The ancient people of Israel prayed laments to contain the chaos of their world, and so can we. War and injustice still make headlines in December. It weighs heavy in the season of excess ‘stuff’ and an emphasis on the bright and shiny.  Yes, birth of Christ is the best news ever, and we still yearn for the day when His peace is established for all people everywhere.

Blue Christmas will be a time to remember that Jesus was sent from heaven and took on human form for exactly the reasons we need: He came to carry our losses and burdens into the presence of God. He came to offer a redemption of things that test our faith. He came into the world 2000 years ago, in order to come to Strasburg, to you and I, today.

Did you know the meaning of encourage originated with ‘heart’. To give courage is to give strength to the heart. All our worship can and does encourage our hearts. Blue Christmas, especially, will be a worship service to where we will open ourselves to the ways the Spirit of Jesus will give our hearts the strength they need and long to have.

During the Blue Christmas service, we will have quieter, reflective music when we can listen, reflect and be still. We’ll sing together. Jonathan will play the piano and Seth Gregory, the cello. (Thank you!!) We will also pray, hear readings and recall God’s promises. If you need a place of hope, sanctuary and prayer to put your fatigue, grief and longing this Advent, Blue Christmas might be that place.

In Christ,

Jen Eisenberg, Seminary Intern at First Presbyterian Church of Strasburg

HAPPENING IN THE LIFE OF FPC…

            Blue Christmas – Sunday, December 22 at 3pm.  Join us for a time of contemplation on what it means that Jesus is with us this season.  We praise Emmanuel.

            Bible Study – Tomorrow evening at 6pm.  Join us here for Bible Study.  It is hard to believe that we have been doing this study now for close to 5 years.  Join us here for this virtual, interactive study:  Bible Study

            Christmas Eve Services:  Join us for the pageant at 4:30, and candlelight services at 8 and 11.

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e-news for Dec 4, 2024

Dear FPC family and friends,

            So, let’s talk about money, shall we?  As a congregation you voted to receive the budget that session had passed at its last meeting in November.  I have attached a copy of the budget below.  One aspect of being a Presbyterian that I so appreciate is that we are an open book.  We do not hide anything about who we are or what we are doing, not even that which some may consider the most sensitive information, such as our financial data. 

            What I hope we made clear at the congregational meeting on Sunday is that we have experienced a budget shortfall this year that is not insignificant.  As a congregation you have been so incredibly faithful by responding to every appeal and by hearing that information and saying to yourself: This is my church. I’m going to make sure that I am going to do what I can to not allow that shortfall to impact the ministry that we are doing.

            But that is the key, isn’t it?  Understanding the ministry in which the church is involved and the mission that is a part of our fabric can only motivate us to meet the financial needs that may arise.  If you don’t know what we are doing then why would you support the church?  I have always consistently encouraged followers of Jesus Christ, who might be aligned with FPC, to follow the Scriptural mandate of giving 10% of the material income that we receive back to the church.  But understanding what the church is currently involved in that might bring joy to your heart is crucial in providing motivation for giving.

            So, what does the 2025 budget look like and what areas might be seen as encouraging for those who might want to give even more in December?  Did you know that our new budget has $76,000 in mission giving for 2025 as opposed to $65,000 in 2024?  That significant change reflects our commitment to our Community Impact Committee which helps Lancaster County folks who might be in financial need.  Did you know that this past month your session approved a one-time donation of $5,000 to Chestnut Housing, a locally run organization whose mission it is to provide permanent housing to those in need.

            Our mission budget really reflects our commitment to being a Matthew 25 church where we take seriously our local, regional, national, and even international commitment to meeting people in need right where they are.  Our budget also reflects our commitment to our youth and their growth in coming to know Jesus.  Not only do we have a full-time youth and young adult staff person, but we increased the budget of our mission trips and continue to have a robust budget for yearly expenses for that program.  We care that our children and our youth grow into faith and we put our financial resources in a place that can make a real difference.

            I have always said that it is from worship that all else emanates.  That is also reflected in our budget through our staffing a part-time organist/choirmaster, and a part-time director of contemporary worship.  What happens on Sunday morning is practice for the week to come and allows us to come to know Jesus in a more personal way.  But also what happens on Sunday morning is an opportunity for you to invite friends and neighbors to come and worship and if they do not know Jesus, they can come to a personal relationship with him.  That is what we are all about here at FPC, coming to know Jesus personally and loving him and our neighbor in all that we do and say.

            The budget for 2025 is very, very optimistic.  This is especially true as we recognize that without a concerted effort on your part in December we will fall far short of budgeted income for 2024.  But my approach to church budgets has always been to let the elders of session know: put the figure down that you feel will be needed to carry out the ministry over which you have been assigned.  In my 31 years of ministry I have never served a church where God has not provided for the ministries which the leadership has understood the Holy Spirit to have put on their hearts.  As a congregation over these past 13 years you have been faithful enough that FPC has been able to meet its expenses year in and year out.  Thank you for that and thank you for supporting FPC in December and in 2025.

Your servant in Christ,

Pastor Bob

HAPPENING IN THE LIFE OF FPC…

            Bible Study every Thursday evening at 6pm.  You can join us here:  Youtube

Saying goodbye to a couple of staff people:  We have been so blessed to have Tron Smith as part of our staff here at FPC.  Tron has served faithfully as our custodian over the past two and a half years and is a familiar face around us.  He has taken on more responsibilities at his full-time position as custodian of Westminster Presbyterian Church in Lancaster.  Congratulations Tron and we will miss you!

Also serving out through the year will be Walter Kondratowski who agreed to serve as interim director of contemporary worship.  We will be looking to hire a permanent person for that position, so if you know of any names let us know.  Thank you, Walter for serving as a stop gap in this time when we really needed you!

            Upcoming Advent and Christmas activities:

Sunday, December 8 at 7pm: Christmas at the organ with our very own Jonathan Jones

                        Sunday, December 15 at 7pm: Courtyard Carols with our very own Walter Kondratowski

                        Sunday, December 22 at 3pm: Blue Christmas organized by our very own Jen Eisenberg.

            Christmas Eve Services:

4:30 Children’s Pageant

8pm and 11pm Candlelight Service

Giving to FPC:  Wondering what the best way to give to FPC might be?  You can: 1.  Place your contribution in the collection plate, 2.  Click the DONATE button on the church web site3.  Mail your check to FPCS, 101 St. Decatur Street, Strasburg, PA 17579

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e-news for Nov 23, 2024

Dear FPC family and friends,

            For over 192 years First Presbyterian Church of Strasburg has been faithfully following the call of Jesus Christ to be the body of Christ in this region.  Every generation has faced its challenges and seen celebrations that would shape its future and affect its culture.  This body of believers has seen and fought in the civil war and lived through it.  This bride of Christ has survived the Spanish Flu and WWI and flourished while asking the difficult questions of where is God the suffering that we see around us.  These saints of First Strasburg have fought in WWII and experienced first hand the turbulent 60’s.  Most recently we have lived through Covid and now we look to position ourselves in a place where every person who worships with us will experience the living Christ by loving God and loving neighbor.

            If you are reading this enews then you are a vital part of the history of this church.  You have contributed in some way to establishing the kingdom of God through our work together.  This Sunday we will be celebrating the birthday of the church.  We have 42 people who have been members of this church for over 50 years.  That is not a typo, so let me repeat that.  We have 42 people who have been members of this church since 1974 or earlier.  Our longest standing member is Elinor Rudy who joined the church in 1940, this marks her 84^th year as a member.  I don’t know about you but my eyes are getting a bit misty thinking about the commitment, the faithfulness, the love that is seen in this church through these faithful members. 

            This past week we welcomed 9 new members into the fellowship.  These new members are beginning to make their mark and impact the life of the church in ways that we cannot know now, but look forward to seeing over time.  We have 8 girls in our confirmation class this year, and they will begin the clock counting toward which of them will be the longest standing member 80 years from now.  They will only be in their early 90’s, so yeah, they got this.  This week we have two baptisms which is reflects the life of the church which is, well, alive!

            There is a movement recently in churches that eschews membership.  I’m a bit conflicted in this approach.  I absolutely agree that membership should not have its privileges, but rather it should carry first and foremost its responsibilities.  Becoming a member is not meant to provide you with services and perks.  Being a member of First Presbyterian, I hope, provides a new way of life that insists that we are all for Christ, or not at all.  Being a member of First Presbyterian in this generation reminds us that we are first and foremost called to love God and to love our neighbor.  Membership does not mean that we are to be served, but rather that we serve.  That is what we sign up for when we join First Presbyterian.

            My prayer for each of us for this birthday Sunday is that we remind ourselves that this journey is better when it is travelled with others.  When was the last time that you invited others to come to church with you?  This is going to be our emphasis in 2025, but it is not too early to start today.  Begin this Sunday and invite them to the birthday brunch where they can see the longevity that is a part of our family.  People stay when they see meaning and find significance.  Invite people with whom you would love to find significance by living a life together for Christ here at First Presbyterian.  We have a great church, let people know about it.

Your servant in Christ

Pastor Bob

HAPPENING IN THE LIFE OF FPC…

            Celebration of the ministry of Michael Wilson in Donegal Presbytery:  On December 8 at 2pm there will be a luncheon celebrating the ministry of Michael Wilson in the Presbytery of Donegal.  Please call the church office if you are interested in attending.  All are welcome.

            Memorial Poinsettias:  Orders are now being taken for memorial poinsettias for the upcoming Advent season. Cost is $10 per plant.  Deadline for orders & payments: December 15, 2024.

            Congregational Meeting on December 1 after the second service:  At this meeting we will be voting on the Pastor’s terms of call, voting on church officers, and receiving the budget. 

            Civil Rights Bus Trip:  Join us on a bus trip through key southern sites of the Civil Rights Movement.  The trip will take place March 8-15 and is sponsored by Messiah University.  If you are interested contact Pastor Bob for more details.

            Santa’s Helpers:  Once again we will participate in helping L-S School District families with gifts for Christmas.  This year we will have 100 tags out on the tree starting on December 1.  The gifts need to be purchased and placed under the tree by December 15^th.

            CHURCH DECORATING DAY ~ On Monday, November 25^th at 6pm, we will be decking the halls and preparing the church for Advent and Christmas. Come join in the fun, have pizza, and help us to decorate!

            Advent calendar: 

                        December 1 – 5:30 Family Advent Night for anyone who would like to attend

                        December 8 – 7pm Christmas at the organ hosted by Jonathan Jones

                        December 15 – 7pm Courtyard Carols featuring cookies and hot cocoa sponsored by Walter Kondratowski

                        December 22 – 3pm Blue Christmas Worship Service sponsored by Jen Eisenberg.

                        December 24 –           4:30 children’s Christmas pageant

                                                            8 and 11pm candlelight worship

SESSION HIGHLIGHTS:

            1.  Budget approved – You will be able to pick up the budget starting this Sunday in order to prepare yourself for the congregational meeting on December 1.

            2.  Approved the disbursing $5,000 of mission funds to support One Hope for Africa – baby homes mission.

            3.  Approved the disbursing of $5,000 to support Chestnut Housing from mission funds.

            4.  Approved the disbursing of $2,500 to bring Vladimir Tatarnikov for a week as Missionary in residence.

            5.  Approved the first read of new by-laws for the congregation that if approved in December will come before the congregation for final approval at a congregational meeting in January.

            6.  Approved the first read of a child safety policy that would become the acting policy of First Presbyterian. 

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e-news for Nov 14, 2024

Dear FPC family and friends,

            It is early Thursday morning and I’m sitting in another airport.  One of the joys of being listed on the slate as the future moderator of the Donegal Presbytery is that you get to go to conferences in Louisville, KY which helps to prepare you for that role.  Just a couple of days ago at the personnel meeting I mentioned how uncomfortable I have been feeling this year because I have actually taken all of my vacation and study leave time for the first time in my 13 years as your pastor.  I don’t like being away from you.  It also makes me a bit anxious to be flying in on Saturday evening with the off chance of there being complications which might make me late for Sunday.  We have a plan B in place, but let’s plan on that not happening and I’ll be glad to see all of you bright eyed and bushy tailed on Sunday morning (I have no idea what that means but my mom used to say that a lot). 

            I think of the roads that the 12 disciples took for the three years that they followed Jesus.  While Capernaum was their home base (Matthew 4:13), they still traveled as far south as Jerusalem and as far north as Tyre and Sidon.  That is over 100 miles away that they consistently walked over those three years, so you can imagine that they had a traveler’s mentality.  You hear that in Matthew 8:20 where Jesus tells those who might want to follow him that you cannot expect to have the creature comforts that maybe you would have in a more sedentary and “normal” lifestyle. 

            Let’s be clear, and so you won’t feel sorry for me, I am not sleeping outside in Louisville. I’ll have my own room, they will feed me, so the creature comforts will be present.  But a traveler’s mentality is one that is necessary for disciples to have because then you are not attached to any one place as if your life depended on it.  This is the longest that I have ever lived in one place.  Just this year we completed our 13^th year which by far and away is the longest place that I have ever lived, and certainly the longest place my family has ever lived.  If someone were to ask me now where I am from or what is my home town Strasburg would come out without hesitation. That has never been the case in my life before. 

            If someone were to ask a disciple of Jesus Christ where he was from, what would they answer in the 1^st century?  If someone were to ask Peter where he was from, we know that he had the accent and the mannerisms of a man from Galilee, but because of his traveler’s mentality what would he say after year 2 with Jesus?  Paul tells us very clearly iin Philippians 3:20 “But our citizenship is in heaven, and it is from there that we are expecting a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.”  It sounds stranger to answer the question directed to us: “So where are you from?” with the answer: “Heaven!”  But that is what Paul is telling us.

            When we have that approach then our ultimate loyalty is not toward any one place or nation, but rather our ultimate loyalty is unequivocally to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  In fact, in II Corinthians 5:20 Paul tells us “So we are ambassadors for Christ.”  As ambassadors for Christ our nation is heaven and whom we represent is Jesus.  I’ll never forget when every time that I would walk into the US Embassy in Moscow, which was almost every day, I would see the American flag and it was that which the embassy represented.  But then inside you would see the current president and vice president and the secretary of state as those whom the embassy also represented.

            As ambassadors of Christ our embassy is wherever we may find ourselves because that land is a foreign land when our home is in heaven.  Now, in this foreign land in which we find ourselves, earth in general and United States for those of us living in Strasburg, we are called to represent fully and completely Jesus and to put His desires and His wishes first in our lives.  Sometimes the wishes of our Jesus correspond and dovetail with the wishes of the nation in which we find ourselves.  But often there can be a contrast when the nation in which we find ourselves pushes against the righteousness which we find in Matthew 25.  May God give us wisdom with a traveler’s mentality that requires of us to be ambassadors for Christ first and foremost. 

Your servant in Christ,

Pastor Bob

HAPPENING IN THE LIFE OF FPC…

            No Bible Study this evening!

            Advent programs coming up:

                        Monday – November 25:  Decorating the Church – Come and join us at 6pm as we decorate the church and get it ready for Advent.  Pizza will be provided as well as fun and fellowship.  Join us!

                        Sunday – December 1: Wreath making for all – Join us as we gather in Fellowship Hall at 5:30 to make wreaths to have for our homes for Advent.  All are welcome.

                        Sunday – December 8: Christmas at the organ – Join us for an organ concert and Christmas carols hosted by our very own Jonathan Jones.  Program begins at 7pm

                        Sunday – December 15: Courtyard Carols featuring cookies and hot cocoa- We will be in our courtyard with a fire as we sing carols beginning at 7pm.  This will be led by our very own Walter Kondratowski.

                        Sunday – December 22: Blue Christmas- Jen Eisenberg will lead us in a time of reflection and meditation in the sanctuary at 7pm as we contemplate the joy of Christmas while also recognizing that it is in this time that we also could find ourselves in grief and mourning.  Join us!

            OPERATION CHRISTMAS SHOEBOX PACKAGING: Join in the fun of stuffing the shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child in Fellowship Hall on Sunday, November 17th at 10am. We are also in need of help on Saturday, November 16th at 9am to set up tables and items

for packaging of the shoeboxes. Please see Beth Feiler for any questions.

            CHURCH BIRTHDAY BRUNCH ~ Join us on Sunday, November 24th at 9:30am (after the 8:30am service) to celebrate 192 years together and to recognize, celebrate and honor the 50+ year members with a brunch in Fellowship Hall. This year’s menu is baked French toast,  sausage and fruit. As in the past, we will need volunteers to bake and bring to church on the 24th. You will be provided with all ingredients and materials necessary, including the recipe. We are also in need of help to set up Fellowship Hall on Saturday, November 23rd. There will be no Sunday School or nursery care during the brunch on Sunday, November 24th. Please contact Alice Eisenhooth at 717-725-2675. Thank you!

            Congregational meeting on December 1 after the second service:  At this meeting we will be voting on the pastor’s salary, receiving the budget, and electing officers.  Join us!

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e-news for Nov 9, 2024

Dear FPC family and friends,

            This is the 4^th general election that I have been with you.  In 2012 with Obama in my enews I marveled at how unique our country is in the peaceful and historic transfer of power that takes place every election.  In 2016 with Trump in my enews I asked the question, which we will be seeing again on Sunday morning, now what?  In 2020 with Biden in my enews I reminded us in the middle of Covid that all things shall pass including how we feel after an election.  Here we are again in 2024 with Trump and my first enews after the election.  If there is one thing that we ought to learn after these four elections with four polar opposite results each year is that the words from Isaiah 40:8 remain true and will always remain true:  The grass withers, the flower fades; but the word of the Lord will stand forever. 

            This past Thursday evening for Bible Study I spent quite a bit of time dissecting and unpacking what our response and our responsibilities are as disciples of Jesus Christ in this post-election time.  I encourage you to spend some time to follow along in the Bible Study, here is the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DNjQ5RIFTM.  Tomorrow in church we will also be looking at this topic more extensively, so if you are curious as to what we understand is our role in civic society and what ought to be our response, come along to church this Sunday.

            I am noticing on social media and in conversations with people a lot of parallels that are being drawn with this election and some type of movement of the Holy Spirit within the nation.  Let me caution you, as someone who considers himself somewhat well versed in things of the Holy Spirit, that God does not wait on an election in a random nation in order to breathe out His Holy Spirit upon us.  The presence of God and the power of the Holy Spirit are not at all related to who is elected. 

            There are churches that are teaching a heresy that is somehow conjuring images of King David and our present time.  Any attempt to understand Messianic prophecy through an election in our country is not only heresy, but the epitome of hubris.  Did we forget that the actual Messiah died on a cross and reminded us that if we are to be recognized in the kingdom of God we are to be servants of all?  It is always dangerous when the political bleeds into the religious with the churches supporting and even encouraging this type of heresy. 

            I have often bemoaned the authority that churches have lost within civil society throughout the years I have been in ministry.  The church being able to speak into the lives of the decision makers is crucial. Churches encouraging politicians to love God and to love their neighbor, all of their neighbors, is an important aspect to the role of the church in civil society.  We are not called to love God and leave our politics at the door.  We are called to love God and to pursue God’s righteousness in our politics.  The problem comes when God’s righteousness is interpreted as putting our interests first above the interests of others.  That is true both at a personal level and at a national level.  Righteousness is defined as acting according to the will of God which can only be seen through the lens of loving God and loving neighbor.

            We are all glad to have the election behind us.  As the nations changed leadership, I hope you take great joy in knowing that our God remains the same and the election has not changed the nature of God.  Now go out there and love somebody!

Your servant in Christ,

Pastor Bob   

HAPPENING IN THE LIFE OF FPC…

            CHURCH DECORATING DAY ~ On Monday, November 25th at 6pm, we will be decking the halls and preparing the church for Advent and Christmas. Come join in the fun, have pizza and help us to decorate!

FAMILY ADVENT NIGHT ~ Join us on Sunday, December 1st from 5:30-7pm! All church family members are welcome (young and not so young, kids and no kids)! There will be a sign-up sheet on the information table in The Well. If anyone would like to donate Christmas cookies there will be a sign-up sheet there as well.

IGNITED STUDENTS ANNUAL FAMILY FOOTBALL LEAGUE will take place on Sunday,

November 17th from 4-6pm at the L-S Practice Field. Adults vs. Students (Grades 6-12) compete for the FFL trophy and bragging rights. Come on out to play or cheer from the sidelines! Bring a lawn chair and dress warm. We’ll provide the hot cocoa, flags, and pigskin. Please RSVP to Kristin at kristin@straspres.org or 908-581-5050.

CHURCH BIRTHDAY BRUNCH ~ Join us on Sunday, November 24th at 9:30am (after the 8:30am service) to celebrate 192 years together and to recognize, celebrate and honor the 50+ year members with a brunch in Fellowship Hall. This year’s menu is baked French toast, sausage and fruit. As in the past, we will need volunteers to bake and bring to church on the 24th. You will be provided with all ingredients and materials necessary, including the recipe. We are also in need of help to set up Fellowship Hall on Saturday, November 23rd. There will be no Sunday School or nursery care during the brunch on Sunday, November 24th. Please contact Alice Eisenhooth at 717-725-2675. Thank you!

Kidz JAM (Jesus and Me) choir rehearsals will continue this Thursday, November 14th, from 5:45pm to 6:30pm. We will meet in Fellowship Hall. We look forward to sharing this music ministry with children of all ages. Parents are welcome to stay for rehearsal. If you have any questions, please contact Jonathan Jones at jjones@straspres.org or 484.949.4514.

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e-news for October 23, 2024

Dear FPC family and friends,

            At the new member’s class on Sunday I once again stated a truth that has almost become cliché now.  The Presbyterian Church (USA) gathers more people from other denominations than any other denomination.  What makes the PC(USA) a good place for anyone and everyone?  I believe it is because it still allows people from both ends of the theological spectrum to maintain their political ideologies, be challenged in them, but still live out lives that are a testimony to their personal Savior Jesus Christ.  I have always said that you cannot separate your politics from your spiritual life, but within the PC(USA) you can live out your spiritual life in an environment where your politics will be challenged by the Word of God.

            Our government within the church is also one that is incredibly attractive to those who want to have a say in how the church is run.  Every new member’s class I repeat the truth that our US government is fashioned after the representative system that we have within the Presbyterian Church.  As members of the church you choose representatives, elders, who will make decisions on your behalf but according to their conscience.  Wait, what is all of this talk about politics?  Isn’t this supposed to be about my relationship with Jesus?

            We see this form of government on how to run the church in the Bible.  We read about elders who were to administer the government of the church in Acts 1:23, 11:30, 15:2-3, 16:4, 21:18, and Titus 1:5.  We run the church the way that we understand Scripture tells us to run the church.  You elect elders to make decisions on your behalf for the life of the church.  This is directly from the Bible, which is the way that we like to do things.

            Our church is a part of a geographical groupings of churches called the Donegal Presbytery.  It covers York, Lancaster, and Chester counties and a straggler church in Maryland.  This Presbytery has as staff a Presbytery Executive who is Erin Cox-Holmes, who has been to our church many times, and a Stated Clerk, Michael Wilson, who worships here with his wife Tricia and their family.  Every two years a Moderator is elected for the Presbytery whose responsibilities include running the quarterly Presbytery meeting that gathers all of the 50 churches in the Presbytery, helping with installation and ordination services across the Presbytery, being a part of the leadership team for the Presbytery in making decisions for its operation and vision, and other tasks that the Presbytery Executive might ask him (me in this case) to do.  It is a volunteer position.

            I have been asked to serve as the Moderator of the Presbytery of Donegal for two years with the term beginning in January.  Now, let’s be clear, there is an election involved and another candidate can always come from the floor and that person can be elected.  But just like we have a nominating committee, so also does Presbytery in its leader team and it is not inconceivable that another person could be nominated and then elected from the floor.  After all I was honored to represent Donegal Presbytery as an alternate commissioner to the Generals Assembly in Salt Lake City this past July.  This time I will be the only candidate brought before the body by the nominating committee.

            It is kinda a big honor for not only me but also for the church.  We have had two other moderators in the recent history of First Presbyterian Strasburg.  Janet Shay was Moderator in 1996 and Karl Richards in 1972.  On November 19 at Highland Presbyterian Church will be the election and the installation of the next Moderator.  You are all welcome to attend that meeting of Presbytery, it is open to all.  It starts at 9:30 and that should be one of the first things on the agenda.  I’m grateful for this opportunity and humbled by this possibility.

Your servant in Christ,

Pastor Bob

HAPPENING IN THE LIFE OF FPC…

Bible Study every Thursday evening at 6:  Join us tomorrow evening at 6 for Bible Study here:  Youtube

NEW MEMBER CLASSES continue at 3pm on Sundays until November 3.   Anyone interested in learning more about First Presbyterian Church or joining our church family is welcome to attend! 

TRUNK OR TREAT Ÿ Join us from 5-6:30pm on Sunday, October 27th! Sign up at the table under the TV in the welcome area and have your car parked and decorated with a suitable theme by 4:30pm. Anyone who would like to donate candy and snack items should sign-up at the table in the welcome area, and drop their items outside of room 5. For more information, contact Beth Feiler at 717-572-9683 or bfeiler@straspres.org.

FPCS Hurricane Helene Relief ~ The Session of our Church has approved contributing $10,000 divided between the Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, and the Mennonite Disaster Service. If you, in the congregation, feel led to make an additional contribution to this Relief Fund, you can make a notation on an Offering Envelope or Check stating “Hurricane Helene Relief,” making your check out to First Presbyterian Church.

LOST AND FOUND ITEMS Ÿ There are a number of items that have made a home in the lost and found. If you are missing a hat, gloves, water bottle, shirt, coat, baseball gloves, or other items, please check the lost and found, located on the coat rack in the foyer. All items not claimed by Sunday, November 3rd, will be donated.

Saturday, November 9th SCOUTING FOR FOOD DRIVE   9AM

Each year the local Boy Scout Troop 56 collects food from our area & brings the donations to Fellowship Hall where it is then sorted, dates checked & then stocked onto our shelves. We welcome anyone who would like to help with this annual food collection. We generally are done no later than 1 pm.  If you could donate anytime during the day we would greatly appreciate the extra hands. It is an enjoyable experience as we help the community, get to know the Scouts and leaders, and the youth from FPC as we work side-by-side. Any questions please contact Donna Stettler. 

OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD SHOEBOX PACKAGING  NOVEMBER 17-Join in the fun of stuffing the shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child in Fellowship Hall on Sunday, November 17th at 10am. We are also in need of help on Saturday, November 16th to set up tables and items for packaging of the shoeboxes. Please see Beth Feiler for time. Please see a list of items still needed in this newsletter or the weekly bulletin. Thank you for your donations throughout the year.

CHURCH BIRTHDAY BRUNCH  NOVEMBER 24-Join us after the 8:30am service to recognize and celebrate and honor the 50+ year members with a brunch in Fellowship Hall. This year’s menu is baked French toast, sausage and fruit. As in the past, we will need volunteers to bake and bring to church on the 24th. You will be provided with all ingredients, and materials necessary including the recipe. We are also in need of help to set up Fellowship Hall on Saturday, November 23rd. There will be no Sunday School or nursery care. Please contact Alice Eisenhooth at 717-725-2675. Thank you!

Sunday, November 24th  MINISTERIUM THANKSGIVING SERVICE   4PM  Join Christians from Strasburg at High View Church as we celebrate Thanksgiving together as a community and give thanks to God for God’s provision. This is sponsored by the seven churches of Strasburg in the Ministerium.

 Monday, November 25th  CHURCH DECORATING DAY   6PM  On Monday, November 25th, we will be decking the halls and preparing the church for Advent and Christmas.  Come join in the fun and help us to decorate!

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e-news for October 11, 2024

Dear FPC family and friends,

            Quite a few of you have commented on how powerful this past Sunday’s World Communion service was.  Being led to communion by Vladimir Tatarnikov, a Lutheran pastor in Belarus, was moving for many of you.  I am in North Carolina right now in a seaside town called Wilmington preparing for a wedding that I am going to be doing tomorrow.  This family whose daughter I am marrying was instrumental in our work in Russia while we were there.  The mom of the family, who was on our session while we were in Russia, said how amazing it is to see Vladimir do the same kind of work that we were doing while we served in Russia.  For more information on Vladimir and the work that he is doing you can find an article from a few years back here:  https://lutheranworld.org/news/belarus-pastor-grateful-solidarity-and-prayers

            Often, I take for granted the global aspect of our faith and of the impact of our work.  It has always been a part of my life and I see it as normal.  We can easily miss the effects of decisions that are made at a local level and yet have tremendous impact both nationally and internationally.  This is especially true in relationship to the church.  When we decide to help Vladimir and his work in Belarus we are able to impact not just a small Lutheran Church in a part of the world that most of us will never see. But rather, we are able to bring relief and restoration to people that maybe some day you will meet and they will have an impact on your life.

            This week as I spend time with a family that was so close to us in a time in our life when our kids were still growing up and we were doing things that literally were able to save the lives of individuals with whom we came into contact and who were members of our church in Russia, it is easier to see how decisions at the church level have an impact internationally.  I would so love for each one of us to see ourselves as connected to each other not just within the church family but also within the community.  What we do in the church has an impact upon Strasburg.

            But what we do in Strasburg has an impact on our nation.  You may not see the link there.  Did you know that within our State Department there are Christians who were impacted and affected by the work of the church that was done?  Currently serving as Ambassadors, and head of the CIA, and other individuals who make policy and carry out the roles put upon them  by our government are people who are influenced by the work that a local church does.  It is true, I know this first hand because these people were members of our church in Russia.

            As you look around the sanctuary on Sunday morning you don’t know what is to become of that gaggle of children who gather on the steps of the pulpit area to hear the children’s message.  They will all be impacted by what they learn and the experiences that they have at our church.  When they grow up who knows if they will not become people who have an impact upon decisions that move nations and individuals in one direction or another.

            So, when we do church, I would love it if we were to approach it as if what we are doing makes a difference in not only our lives, but in the lives of those growing up in the church, in the life of the community, in how our country is influenced by the decision makers who cross our doors, and by the world by those who happen to stumble into our presence.  We are linked together not by our political parties, or our common way of thinking, or our vocation, but by the blood of Jesus.  There is nothing more binding than that.

Your servant in Christ,

Pastor Bob

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e-news for October 4, 2024

Dear FPC family and friends,

            World Communion Sunday may not be on your radar this week.  While it happens every year, it doesn’t really move the needle much at all for most people, especially in a time when we are almost overwhelmed by the deaths and the destruction left by Helene.  These two things may seem very distant from each other, but there is a correlation that needs to be fleshed out.  I can’t remember a storm that has produced so much death and tragedy, other than Katrina, here in the United States.  So many of you have relatives or some connection to that region of this country that what is happening there feels personal.  Hundreds of lives have been lost and it is hard to imagine that towns such as Ashville, which many of us have been to many times, are unrecognizable. 

            When tragedies such as this happen close to home and in locations that we know and love, it becomes personal and we remember and we are driven to do something.  Who remembers what happened 20 years ago on December 26?  A Tsunami hit Thailand and close to 250,000 people were killed.  I remember it well and I remember hearing the number of deaths and thinking that someone had added an extra zero to that number.  It can’t be possible that half a million people were killed by a single catastrophic event.  But it did happen and it is true, but it happened a world away and so the magnitude of it and our emotional attachment to it is diminished.

            There is something about familiarity and personal connection that elevates the emotion for us in regards to tragic events that take place.  While the death toll in North Caroline is about .1%, that is one tenth of a percent, of what it was in Thailand, we emotionally probably feel it more because it is closer, we may have family members who live there and it is in our country.  So many emotions go into living through these types of experiences.

            One of the results of celebrating World Communion Sunday is to make the world our neighborhood so that we are able to feel and experience the joys and sorrows of the world personally.  We will have Vladimir Tatarnikov, a Lutheran pastor whom we support who works in Belarus, lead us to communion this Sunday in his language and using his traditions.  Belarus is really far away and you probably haven’t spent any time thinking about the people and the reality of life there.  But when you get to know Vladimir and he leads you to the table of life I hope and pray that the people of Belarus become a little less distant to us.

            We live in a day and age where there really is no excuse to pretend that God somehow has a preference for our country or our people.  God not only loves us, but he equally loves the people of Thailand and Belarus, and Palestine, and Israel…You get the point, we are almost programmed to think that our faith in Jesus somehow originated here in this country and is defined by what is happening in this country.

            World Communion Sunday reminds us that we are new to this whole faith in Jesus.  Christian Palestinians have been loving Jesus for over 2,000 years, while American Christians have been loving Jesus for just over 200 years.  We can often fall into the trap of thinking that God loves us more than he loves other people from other countries, as if God has chosen us over and against other people from other countries.  That can’t be further from the truth, trust me, I know, I’ve lived in a number of other countries and seen the faith of other people and it is strong.

            So here is my challenge for you this Sunday, come and celebrate World Communion Sunday and be generous to the relief efforts that we will be involved in for the storm decimated areas in our country.  As you take communion blessed by Vladimir be reminded of the love of God that finds its home inside and outside of our country and our church.  God’s love, the same love that we feel, stretches further than the eye can see.

Your servant in Christ,

Pastor Bob

HAPPENING IN THE LIFE OF FPC…

            BREAD FOR WORLD COMMUNION SUNDAY:  If you like to bake then you can help us by baking a loaf of bread and bringing it in by tomorrow morning so that we can have them for World Communion Sunday. 

NO BIBLE STUDY THIS THURSDAY!

HARVEST HOME:  On Sunday, October 20 we will be celebrating Harvest Home and you will have an opportunity to bring in canned goods to help our foodbank. 

NEW MEMBER CLASSES: will begin on Sunday October 20 at 3pm. Anyone interested in learning more about First Presbyterian Church or joining our church family is welcome to attend!

TRUNK OR TREAT: Trunk or Treat at FPCS will be held this year from 5-6:30pm on

Sunday, October 27. Sign up at the table under the TV in the welcome area and have your car parked and decorated with a suitable theme by 4:30pm.  Children should arrive in a costume between 5-6:30pm. Anyone who would like to donate candy and snack items should sign-up at the table in the welcome area. For more information, contact Beth Feiler at 717-572-9683 or bfeiler@straspres.org.

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e-news for September 18, 2024

Dear FPC family and friends,

            The life of the church family is marked by life events that take place within the life of individual families.  The birth of a new baby (welcome to our family Josiah!) changes the dynamics of not only the individual family, but also the church family.  We have had a rash of new babies being born over these past two years, it has been fun and it has added some great energy.  The death of a loved one has a tragic life changing impact upon a family and impacts the church family as a whole as well.  When we gather around Robin and Ali and their families in their grief, even while we celebrate the resurrection of Paul, we know how a sudden loss can impact all of us.

            There is so much in between these life events that take place within families of the church.  There are those who are so wanting to start a family but things just aren’t working out right.  There are those whose lives have been turn upside down because of an accident or a medical event that has left them incapacitated at worst, or at best wondering when they are going to have a normal day when they feel okay.  There are those who have received shocking financial news and are in need and don’t really want to publicize or let the world know about it.  There are those who are caring for their aging parents or spouses and don’t see the light at the end of the tunnel, things are so up in the air right now.  Life events are a part of, well…, life.  All of those events make a difference in the life of the church as a whole as well.

            As a church family we are called, as Paul says, in Romans 12:15 – “Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.”  It is not always easy to keep the balance.  As we rejoice sometimes those who are in seasons of life that are opposite of where we find ourselves suffer more injury and are scarred.  That shouldn’t dampen our joy, but it should make us more aware that as a family we are connected to each other and our seasons of life are varied and impact each other.  In the same manner when we mourn and grieve while we do so with the hope of the resurrection, we also know that our grief lasts for a season and then joy does come in the morning (Psalm 30:5).

            I have been thinking a lot about last week’s sermon and the difference between the theology of abundance versus the theology of need.  We all go through life at times feeling as if we are in need.  This is true financially, emotionally, spiritually, and socially.  The needs we experience in life are real and are not meant to be ignored by a Pollyannaish approach to life as if all we have to do is think nice thoughts and our needs will go away.  No, our needs are real, but how we approach our needs is the key to our relationship with Jesus and to each other.

            If we approach our needs from the perspective that God is working behind the scenes as we are working front and center to meet our needs, then that is vastly different from thinking that we never have enough and we will never have enough.  I challenged you on Sunday to wake up this week and every morning say to yourself: I have everything I need.  I know that saying it doesn’t make it true, but it does, I hope, put all things in the perspective that all that we have in our possession is actually a gift from God in the first place.

            The ability to live life from a perspective defined by Paul in Philippians 4:11-12 where he said that he has learned to live life not from a theology of need, but from a perspective of plenty, this theology of abundance that we have referred to lately.  I pray that this week, and in the weeks to come, that as you rejoice and as you mourn and as you find yourself somewhere in between that the Holy Spirit will fill you with the desire and the ability to view life from the perspective of abundance.  God has given you all that you need.

Your servant in Christ,

Pastor Bob

HAPPENING IN THE LIFE OF FPC…

NO SUNDAY WORSHIP AT FPC THIS SUNDAY.  WORSHIP IS AT 10AM AT STRASBURG COMMUNITY PARK.  BRING A CHAIR OR A BLANKET.

Bible Study this Thursday and every Thursday evening:  Join us on Thursday, September 19 at 6pm for Bible Study with Pastor Bob.  You can join us here: Youtube

Women’s Bible Study: Every Tuesday join us for a women’s Bible Study.  Classes will be held at 9am and 7pm. All are welcome! We will be using a study called “Now That Faith Has Come” by Beth Moore & Melissa Moore – A study of Galatians. For any questions please contact Stacy Bronkema, Linda Bredin, or Sandy Wenger.

NEW MEMBER CLASSES will begin on Sunday October 20^th at 3pm. Anyone interested in learning more about First Presbyterian Church or joining our church family is welcome to attend!

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e-news for August 31, 2024

Dear FPC family and friends,

            The summer has come to a screeching halt and we still, technically, have three weeks left.  Kids are back in school, our own preschool is ramping up to start in a little over a week, programs are starting up with Clubhouse on September 7 (make sure you get involved and send your children/grandchildren to it).  While we didn’t take a break over the summer, there absolutely is a different rhythm once it is over.  Things just seem a little more intense, a little more frenetic, a little more, well, full of life.      

            There is one place in the Bible where we hear Jesus talk about the seasons of the year and it is, surprise surprise, in Matthew.  Look at chapter 24:32-33 and you will hear him talk about the fig tree and how it gives us clues as to when summer is coming.  One of my pride and joys in our property is a grape vine that we planted about three years ago.  This year it produced a real bumper crop of beautiful and sweet grapes. 

            Every year I have to train it and prune it and cut it down to size knowing that it is for its own good.  This happens right before it starts to bud and it is, like the fig tree in Matthew, a sign that the summer is on its way.  That is the way it is with the life of the church.  There are certain events and celebrations that we have that we know once they happen, well, summer is coming to its end.  The church picnic is a sign that summer is just about over and soon we will find ourselves where we are now with programs starting back up and school back in session.

            We are challenged to have in our own lives seasons where we are able to be even more in touch with our relationship with Jesus.  Lent has served traditionally as a time when we might be more introspective and seek out ways in which to strengthen our following with our Savior.  Advent encourages us to focus on the second coming of Jesus as something that will happen and something for which we need to be prepared.  Our own preparation for the coming of Jesus is not to be overlooked and the church seasons are opportunities to become more intense and deliberate and intentional in our discipleship.

            As this new earthly season begins, maybe this is an opportunity for each of us to begin a new season in our lives with our Savior.  Take this time as an opportunity to establish spiritual disciplines.  Choose a five minute block each day to spend in prayer.  Choose ten minutes to read through the Gospels.  Determine with your family to spend an hour this weekend or next helping out at the church together or at Water Street, or just by going around picking up trash in Strasburg that might be on people’s lawns.  When you do that pray for that family.

            There are so many ways in which to strengthen our walk with Christ if we would just take the time to do it.  The change of seasons is a great excuse to find ways to strengthen our relationship.  I pray that as the summer comes to a close, that we would all determine to walk closer with Christ in this year to come.

Your servant in Christ,

Pastor Bob

HAPPENING IN THE LIFE OF FPC…

Community Wide worship – Gather with all the churches of Strasburg for worship at the Strasburg Park on Sunday, September 22^nd at 10am. There will be no worship here at FPC, so come and join our brothers and sisters in Christ from Strasburg to worship on this day. In the event of rain, service will be held at Strasburg Mennonite Church.

FOOD BANK:  We are looking for a few volunteers to help us with our weekly shopping of perishables items. Volunteers would check the stock of milk, eggs, margarine, and bread before we open on Tuesday afternoon and then once again before we open again on Friday afternoon.

REVERBERATE Ÿ Join us and other churches from Lancaster County on Sunday, September 15^th at Longs Park for an evening of praise, unity and worship. The event is free but there will be food trucks open from 4-6pm and worship from 6-8pm. Bring a chair or a blanket to sit on. Everyone is invited! Meet us in the parking lot at FPC at 5pm to carpool or meet us there!

Women’s Bible Study Ÿ Mark your calendars that we will be starting a new Bible Study on

Tuesday, September 17^th. Classes will be held in the morning @ 9:00 or in the evening @ 7:00. All are welcome! We will be using a study called “Now That Faith Has Come” by Beth Moore & Melissa Moore – A study of Galatians. For any questions please contact Stacy Bronkema, Linda Bredin, or Sandy Wenger.

Nominations for Elders, Deacons and Trustees:  The Church Officer Nominating Committee requests names from the congregation for consideration for the next class of Elders, Deacons and Trustees.  When submitting names for consideration, you may include the names of congregation members as well as your own.  Please submit names to be considered for nomination to Carolyn Groff and Linda Younger or to the church office by September 3.

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e-news for August 22, 2024

Dear family and friends,

            It has been over a year since we did our emphasis on Prayer, Scripture and Action.  The purpose of this initiative was to increase our desire and our practice in prayer, Scripture and action.  We received a grant from the Lilly Foundation called Rekindle which helped us with the finances that were needed to programmatically emphasize these three crucial aspects of the life of the church.  We took a survey at the beginning of this focus, over a year ago, and now recently a few months ago we took the same survey again to see if our efforts to increase the congregational desire to pray and read Scripture and be involved in action actually produced positive results.

            Well, the results are in, and they are across the board positive.  Now when I say positive, I mean that in just about every single category there was an increase in practice of prayer, reading of Scripture, and involvement in action.  As a church we met the goals to increase our desire to serve God and to walk closer with him in every single category that we had hoped.  How did we do that?  Well, I believe we spoke about and did prayer more as a congregation than we had in the past.  We followed along a Scripture schedule and read through the Bible in 72 hours.  We were involved in action that was concerted and was meant to remind us that God has called us to action.

            We would really want you to look at the results yourself.  You can find them here: August 2024 PSA results.  It will pull up an excel spreadsheet with four separate tabs.  You can find charts, numbers, and also comments.  Take the time to read the comments.  This is what you as a congregation told us in regards to what was most meaningful to you during this process and what suggestions do you have a result of this process.  I need to say that I was blown away by the across the board positive increase in people desiring to pray more, read Scripture more, and be involved in godly action more.  Make sure you look at all of the tabs.  This is what we want as a church and apparently all it took was a little concerted effort to make it happen.

            But there was something else that I found appealing and intriguing to me.  I read into the survey that as a congregation you want to be challenged in your spiritual life.  You are not satisfied in being complacent and just letting church come to you as if in that way by osmosis you would strengthen your relationship with your Savior.  No, you seem to want to have someone who leads you in ways of prayer that remind us that Jesus is not a name but he is a person with whom we have a relationship.  You want to be held accountable that you are reading your Bible with a reading challenge.  You want to be given opportunities to serve that create a direct link between you and God’s creatures and creation.

            We heard your responses and we are going to be more deliberate in those actions and in those requests.  We continue to offer programmatic ways to be involved in prayer and Bible Study and action.  We will continue our men’s prayer breakfast, our Bible Studies and Sunday School classes for youth and adults, as well as opportunities to serve at Water Street and our own Food bank which we have been providing for years now.  Maybe some of the realities that we find is that we were made more aware of what is out there that we can actually do that will contribute to the kingdom of God through the feeble hands that we have.

            Our time focusing on PSA was evidently worthwhile.  Now we need to capitalize on this success and ensure that what we have done is not a one and done, but continues to serve as fodder for a walk with Christ that is meaningful and deep.  Without that, we cease to carry out our calling as a church.

Your servant in Christ,

Pastor Bob

HAPPENING IN THE LIFE OF FPC…

            Bible Study this evening at 6pm:  Have you ever joined Pastor Bob’s Thursday evening’s Bible Study.  The good news is that it is easy to join.  Just click on this link.  Youtube

You can stay completely anonymous, or you can chat with us and be as interactive as you like.  If you have never joined in on a Thursday evening Bible Study, now in its 4^th year, come and join us, try it, you’ll like it.

Worship in the park on September 22:  We will not have worship in our building on that Sunday but rather we will be worshipping at the Strasburg Park along with all of the churches of Strasburg at 10am. 

            Reverberate 2024:  Come join us for an evening of worship with the churches of Lancaster on September 15 at Long’s Park.  We will leave from the church at 5pm and carpool together.  The time of worship is from 6-8pm.  Come and join us!

            Blessing of the Backpacks:  This Sunday at both services we will be blessing the backpacks of students, teachers, and administrators serving in schools and colleges and universities. Join us and help us to start the year off well with God’s blessing upon our time in our educational institutions.

            Clubhouse starting back upon September 7:  We would love for you to come and help us out as we provide great fun and Bible learning for our children at our Clubhouse program.  Bring a bunch of your neighborhood kids along on September 7 at 6pm and watch as they are transformed to followers of Jesus. 

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e-news for August 11, 2024

Dear FPC family and friends,

            On March 14, 2021, almost exactly one year after Covid shut down the church, Jon Knauss came and stepped into a void that the church had and desperately needed filled.  Tess Feiler had just resigned and Jon jumped in willing to lead us.  He has led us for nearly 3 and a half years as director of contemporary worship.  This Sunday FPC and Jon mutually agreed that things simply were not working out the way that either of us planned or hoped as he serves as our director.  As a result, this past Sunday, today, was Jon’s last Sunday with us.  Please pray for him as he transitions that the Holy Spirit would guide him to what is next for him. 

            So what is next for FPC and the 11am service?  We are grateful that an elder of our church, Walter Kondratowski, has agreed to step into the gap in an interim capacity.  Walter will be leading the second service worship as we put together a search team and find our next leader of contemporary worship.  I know that this will come as a surprise and a shock to many of you and you may have a lot of questions.  Please feel free to reach out to me to share any of your thoughts or feelings as you process this news.

            God has been faithful to this congregation and He has seen us through a lot of different and difficult times.  This is one of them as we grieve the loss of a staff person who helped us through Covid, and led us in worship for over three years, that’s a long time!  But we trust that God will continue to be faithful to provide leadership in this church as we look to staff to support us and bring us alongside as we do the most important thing that we can do as a church: worship.

            Your servant in Christ,

Pastor Bob 

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e-news for August 1, 2024

Dear FPC family and friends,

            So, what is your favorite thing about the Olympics?  I don’t just mean the events like gymnastics, or basketball, or the fan favorite break dancing making its debut this year.  There is also the fact that countries from all over the world unite and compete against each other, even those countries that are sworn enemies are able to somehow find the resolution to meet and compete without bloodshed.  There is something unique and almost surreal as we go through this exercise every four years.  As someone who loves sports and has been accused of being somewhat competitive, it is definitely something toward which I look forward.

            You have quite a few references in Scripture to competition and sport.  I’ll just list a few of them and you can look them up on your own: I Corinthians 9:24-27, II Timothy 2:5, Hebrews 12:1-2, Philippians 3:14.  The one that I use the most is found in II Timothy 4:6-8 which reminds us of the centrality of faith in our life.  But that faith is often the result of much work and perseverance that could involve training and sticktoitiveness.  Yes, that is a word, you can look it up.

            We know that the original Olympic Games took place hundreds of years before Jesus walked on the earth, around 776 BC.  That would have been around the time of Jonah and Isaiah as they were proclaiming the Word of God to the people of God.  During Jesus’ day even though Greece was under Roman rule, they still were carrying on with the Olympics.  The actual term Olympics comes from the word Olympiad which literally means every 4 years and was a unit of time like week and decade.  The Olympics always took place in Greece on Mount Olympus.

            In history we read about the Olympics that were present when Jesus walked upon the face of the earth.  The Emperor August revived the Olympics and he restored the Greek original site and asked King Herod to subsidize the games with funding.  Nero, who was so vicious to the Christians and killed so many of them, was also apparently a poor sport.  He entered himself into the chariot races of the 211^th Olympiad in 65 AD and was thrown from his horse but still claimed victory.  He also established musical contests so that he could enter them and he won all of them as well.  Nero won every contest in which he entered, no judge would or could refuse his victory at the fear of death.

            I have always said that the more things change the more they stay the same.  As humans we are not more civil or ethical now than we were 50 years ago, or 500 years ago.  The presence of sin in our lives remains and we are in constant need of a Savior.  We often get caught up in such silly controversy thinking that the world is going to end if we don’t somehow defend God from the forces that God isn’t able to deal with Himself.  God is in charge, God has been in charge, and we don’t need to think that any cultural wars that are present are going to change the outcome of God’s victory over all things.  The more we get caught up in the silliness of trying to defend God or our Christian values, the more silly we look as a community.

            Here is my encouragement to all of us.  Enjoy the Olympics.  Paul may have been an athlete who competed in the Olympics, even though he wasn’t Greek so that probably isn’t true.  But he certainly did love to use sports imagery to interpret our faith journey as one that is a marathon, and not a sprint.  Our journey together as a church is a marathon, hang in there through every leg of the event.

Your servant in Christ,

Pastor Bob

HAPPENING IN THE LIFE OF FPC…

ANNUAL CHURCH PICNIC Ÿ Come enjoy fun, food and fellowship on Sunday, August 18^th at 12:30pm at Tinney Pavilion. There will be a corn hole tournament, bingo and kids games! Pulled pork, hotdogs, beverages and paper products provided. Please bring a side or dessert to share!

Community Wide worship – Gather with all the churches of Strasburg for worship at the Strasburg Park on Sunday, September 22^nd at 10am. There will be no worship here at FPC, so come and join our brothers and sisters in Christ from Strasburg to worship on this day.

Bluegrass Festival on August 31^st at 6pm at the Strasburg Community Park.

Bible Study this evening at 6pm.  You can join us here: Bible Study 

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e-news for July 25, 2024

Dear FPC family and friends,

            Do you know Jen Eisenberg?  Well, if you don’t, you will soon get to know her.  She and her husband Jon have been worshipping at FPC now for well over a year.  She helped us with the PSA retreat at Black Rock when she led our time together looking at the Scripture portion of PSA.  She is currently enrolled as a student at Fuller Theological Seminary.  She is in the process of finishing up her course work.  She is a Candidate in our Donegal Presbytery under care of the First Presbyterian Church of Lancaster.  She has taken and passed all of her ordination exams so now all that remains are a few more classes, a stint with Clinical Pastoral Education at a local hospital, and some time in Field Education.

            What is Field Education?  Field Education is where a seminary student spends time at a local church learning the ropes and contributing in the life of the church.  Sometimes, like Brett Foote and Holly Miller, field education is done as you are a student pastor and given responsibility over a church and its work without any other pastoral presence at that church.  The traditional way to do field education, the way Stacy and I did it, is to get connected to a local church and serve there under a pastor and its session and contribute to the life of the church without being the primary pastor.  When that happens, you are a seminary intern serving on staff at a local church fulfilling your field education requirements.

            Last evening your session enthusiastically supported and approved bringing onto the team of First Presbyterian Jen Eisenberg as a seminary intern where she will be serving and living life with us from September through May.  Over this nine-month period she will be in worship with us, she will be involved in the day to day running of the church, and she will be learning about what we do here and why we do it.  Having someone with the caliber and the devotion that Jen has dive into the life of the church for 9 months is going to make a difference, a huge difference in how we are able to reach out to the community with the love of Jesus.  I am so looking forward to seeing how God will move among us over this time period.  Keep your eyes and your ears open for the movement of the Holy Spirit. 

            It has always been a joy for me to mentor seminary interns while pastoring at a church.  While we were in Florida we hired for the first time in the life of the church an Associate Pastor.  While he was not an intern, it was his first call out of seminary and it was a thrill to see how God worked in his life under our care to the point where he is now a senior pastor in a PC(USA) church.  Shout out to Rev. Dr. Phil Hagen here: https://www.fpcidahofalls.org/about-us/staff/

            While in Russia we brought on board Vladimir Tatarnikov, a young 19 year old seminary student who served with us for a year before he went on to become a pastor with the Lutheran Church in Belarus.  Again, the work that he is doing in Belarus is in many ways a mirror image of the work that we did together in Russia.  You can see a story about him a few years ago here: https://lutheranworld.org/news/belarus-pastor-grateful-solidarity-and-prayers#:~:text=(LWI)%20%2D%20Vladimir%20Tatarnikov%20is,in%20the%20whole%20of%20Belarus.

            The mentoring and guiding of pastors as they step into ministry is such an important task and this church has historically not shied away from that responsibility.  We have seen as part of our responsibility for the kingdom to prepare pastors so that when they go out and take on a church that church will be better served by that pastor as a result of their time with us.  It is our hope that the same will apply to Jen Eisenberg as she journeys with us and lives life with us that once her time with us is over that where she serves after that will be blessed by the time that she spent with us.

Your servant in Christ,

Pastor Bob

HAPPENING IN THE LIFE OF FPC…

            Saying goodbye to Bruce Gerlach:  This Sunday during coffee hour we will be saying goodbye to Bruce Gerlach after his years of service here at FPC.  He began his ministry after college here at this church and now he is retiring from his work here as well.  God has brought him full circle and we are the benefactors of this blessing as a result. 

            A number of opportunities to gather together as a congregation:

                        Church picnic:  Join us on August 18 after the 11am worship at the Tinney Pavilion as we celebrate life together with the good food that you bring and the games that we play together.  There will be activities for the whole family there on that day, join us!

                        Bluegrass Festival:  Every year First Presbyterian sponsors a bluegrass festival at the Strasburg Park.  This year we will be celebrating together on August 31^st at 6pm.  Join us and bring a lawn chair or a blanket or both.

            Community Worship:  On September 22 at 10am all the churches of Strasburg will gather for worship together at the Strasburg Park.  There will be no worship here at FPC, and only worship with our brothers and sisters in Christ from Strasburg on that day.  

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e-news for July 19, 2024

Dear FPC family and friends,

            “Count your many blessings count them one by one…”  When you read this it may take you back to the old hymn and memories of your childhood singing in a full church with a smile on your face.  For me now this song is forever wedded with VBS and a room full of kids singing at the top of their lungs while their bodies are in overdrive acting out the motions that they were taught.  We had the most kids that we have had in a long time, maybe the most in my entire time here and the feeling was electric.  What we offer here at FPC in our VBS program is unique, it is sought after, it impacts our community and the life of many, many different families. 

            Yes, the impact on the children and their families is significant, but do you know what it takes to run VBS effectively?  We had scores of volunteers from adults to youth and they were all outstanding.  It was a rush to pull into the church and see it full of cars and knowing that these cars represented the volunteers who had agreed to sacrifice their time and their energies for the work of the kingdom.  I remain amazed at how galvanizing VBS is for our church family in so many different ways.  Jesus tells us in Matthew 12:50 that he defines his family as: “whoever does the will of my Father.”  Our church was filled with Jesus’ family over this past week.  What a rush and what a joy to be a small part of it.

            Okay, now that this is almost behind us, what is next?  There are some changes that are happening in the life of the church.  With Bruce leaving us after his last Sunday on July 28 we look forward to welcoming Jonathan on the bench.  We know that God is at work even in this transition.  I hope to give you some news next week about someone else who might be coming on board, but I’ll hold off until session meets on Wednesday, but watch this space and stay tuned.  The church can never stay static, it has to keep moving and keep reforming and keep looking for ways in which it can minister to the community. 

            It would be so easy to keep doing the things we have always done without anything new or anything unique.  But the more we look to understand what is happening around us the more we can see ways in which to reach out to those around us with creativity and love.  Jesus didn’t have to go through Samaria and meet with the woman whose life was changed and so she was able to change the entire population of the village.  Jesus didn’t have to get involved with the woman who was caught in adultery, but he did and changed her life and probably gave the men who were accusing her something to think about in their own life as well.  Jesus didn’t have to go into the temple and drive the money changers out, he could have just walked on by with his disciples and carry on with his day.

            Jesus chose to live his life by not avoiding people or life situations that could have the most impact on those around him.  He was always looking for an opportunity to give people a glimpse into the character of God which is always welcoming and loving and never dismissive or caustic.  As a church we must follow the example that Jesus gave to us which provides life for those who may not know it.  Through our work we hope to give those on the periphery and those who feel unloved a glimpse into what it means to be a part of a loving family.

Your servant in Christ,

Pastor Bob

HAPPENING IN THE LIFE OF FPC…

            Saying goodbye to Bruce Gerlach:  Bruce Gerlach’s last day with us as Organist and Choirmaster is Sunday, July 28th. Please join us at coffee hour on July 28th to thank him for his service here at the church which began in the 70’s.  If you would like to send him a card, please put it in Bette Davis’ mailbox, or bring it with you on Sunday, July 28th and there will be a basket for cards. 

            ANNUAL CHURCH PICNIC:  Come enjoy fun, food and fellowship on Sunday, August 18^th at 12:30pm at Tinney Pavilion. There will be a corn hole tournament, bingo and kids games! Pulled pork, hotdogs, beverages and paper products provided. Please bring a side or dessert to share!

Water Street Rescue Mission Volunteer Opportunities

There are opportunities for our congregation to serve meals at the Water Street Rescue Mission in Lancaster this summer.  These events will require around 2.5 hours of your time serving meals to the Mission’s residents.  Our church has 2 slots reserved for each of the following meals and there will be someone from our volunteer team serving with you:

Tuesday, August 13                Dinner             4:00 pm to 6:30 pm

Wednesday, August 14           Breakfast        6:00 am to 8:30 am

Friday, August 23                   Lunch              11:00 pm to 1:30 pm

If you are interested in serving or if you would like to learn more about these serving opportunities reach out to Terry Sweigart at 717-606-6907 or by email at tLsweig@gmail.com.  Thanks for your consideration.

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e-news for July 12, 2024

Dear FPC family and friends,

            It feels like a really long time since we’ve seen each other face to face.  This summer has really been a lot of ins and outs, a lot of travel and events, a lot of church related work that doesn’t take place at the church.  As a result I will be away from the church more this year than any other year since I have been here.  It makes me very uneasy and not totally grounded when I come back because I feel like I’ve missed so much.  It is almost when you haven’t seen a grandchild for so long that when you do see them they are already walking and you wonder: How did I miss that?  So how have you grown over these past couple of weeks since I have been gone?

            Our youth groups have come and gone on their mission trips.  The middle schoolers are still working hard in New Jersey and from the reports that are coming out of base camp things are going very well.  The summer has never been slow here at FPC, thing are always in pretty high gear, and year is no different.  We are on the cusp of VBS, are you ready?  If you haven’t seen the church yet, you need to go in and see the transformation that has taken place.  We are definitely under the sea.  I am so excited to see how God is going to work through our children to reveal himself powerfully.

            I’m not sure that we have ever had close to 70 children pre-register in the past, but that is where we are now, which is hugely encouraging.  Won’t you take some time out of your busy work and family schedule this week and come around and help out at VBS?  We might be having a record number of children so it would be great to have a record number of volunteers as well.  I have always said that VBS week is one of the happiest weeks of the year here at the church.  It is a joy that lasts for us for months.  Don’t you want to be a part of that?  No matter your age or your abilities, we will find a place for you to work, guaranteed.

            But the life of the church is more than the programmatic output.  We have been involved in the life of the church as members have passed away, Ed Allen a few weeks back.  Members have had surgeries and unexpected life events.  There is not much more important that we do together than be together.  The more we spend time together the more we are able to experience the presence of Christ together as a family which builds a bond that is unbreakable.  We have lived life together and seen God at work in so many different settings.  This short time away doesn’t remove the experience of life that we have had together.

            I have said in the past that because of the way that I grew up, a missionary kid who had to make quick, intense friendships because the boat was going to sail at any time, I feel very comfortable with people and also being away from people.  Absence does not tend to decrease our ability to love each other.  Hopefully, that old adage, absence makes the heart grow fonder, will find itself to be true.  I know that when I return I find myself even more grateful for the family that God has grown here at FPC.

            Take this summer to invest in your time here at FPC, in whatever capacity that may be.  If you aren’t currently plugged in and wondering how to do it, text me, give me a call, stop in the office, and let’s talk.  There are so many ways to be a part of the life of the church, but for the most part it is about relationships, spending time with each other.  Let’s look to do that more this summer.

Your servant in Christ,

Pastor Bob

HAPPENING IN THE LIFE OF FPC…

Water Street Rescue Mission Volunteer Opportunities:  There are opportunities for our congregation to serve meals at the Water Street Rescue Mission in Lancaster this summer.  These events will require around 2.5 hours of your time serving meals to the Mission’s residents.  Our church has 2 slots reserved for each of the following meals and there will be someone from our volunteer team serving with you:

Tuesday, August 13                Dinner             4:00 pm to 6:30 pm

Wednesday, August 14           Breakfast        6:00 am to 8:30 am

Friday, August 23                   Lunch              11:00 pm to 1:30 pm

If you are interested in serving or if you would like to learn more about these serving opportunities reach out to Terry Sweigart at 717-606-6907 or by email at tLsweig@gmail.com.  Thanks for your consideration.

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e-news for June 29, 2024

Dear FPC family and friends,

            I’ve never been to Salt Lake City before.  I’m at the airport waiting for the plane to take off to take me to Salt Lake where I will be gathered with over 500 people at the 226^th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA).  It is a huge honor to be your commissioner representing the Presbytery of Donegal.  While it is very heady stuff, at the end of the day very little of what is decided at the General Assembly impacts what we do here in Strasburg.  Now, I say this not to minimize the role that commissioners play or the role that General Assembly plays, but it is true.  We don’t change what we do or how we do it as a result of what happens at General Assembly.

            Sometimes what happens at General Assembly makes national headlines.  Unfortunately, the reason why it often makes headlines is because a decision is made that is controversial and a decision that more often than not goes against what I understand is God’s desire and wish for His bride, the church.  That might happen again at this General Assembly, but were it to happen, I rest in the confidence that our work as a church will not be affected and we will be able to continue to be a Matthew 25 church whose primary goal is to make disciples of Jesus Christ by loving God and loving neighbor.  These goals can never be taken from us except by ourselves.  We will always work together to ensure that love of God and love of neighbor is our primary goal.

            Last week we were in committee meetings all day long on zoom.  I know, that sounds terrible.  Actually, it wasn’t that bad.  I would rather be in my home at a meeting than in a cold sterile meeting room where you can’t get up and do what you need to do, or express your frustration and elation while you are muted.  I actually liked being in committee meetings on zoom better than in person.  Now starting this evening the whole body will gather in person in what is called a plenary to vote upon the decisions that the committees agreed to take to the whole body.  This will go through July 4.

            This year I was thrilled to be able to bring to a committee what was called a Commissioner Resolution which was approved unanimously by the committee to which it was brought.  If you have any interest in church policy and decision making you can find that resolution here along with comment from three different PC(USA) entities who weighed in on the resolution.  https://www.pc-biz.org/search/3001379

            It lifts up the presence and historic importance of mission within the PC(USA), and especially the importance of mission as mutual mission, where we are not going into a country or a territory telling people how to do things as if God were not already present or as if only we have the full truth of who God is.  While I served as a missionary for nearly 10 years it was never with the thought that I had the full truth which I had to give to the people with whom I was working.  Rather, it was obvious that the presence of God was already strong and active and my role was simply to ride the wave that God has already started. 

But isn’t that true in the church in Strasburg as well?  Aren’t we called to discern how the Holy Spirit is moving and either ride the wave that it takes us on or simply get out of the way so that we would not quench the Spirit?  While I am in Salt Lake I can be encouraged that when I get back no matter what is decided you will continue to work for the kingdom looking to ride the wave that the Holy Spirit has already created.  We must be willing to jump in with both feet and paddle as hard as we can until the wave takes us home.  I’ll try to stay in touch with all of you while I am in Salt Lake.

Your servant in Christ,

Pastor Bob

HAPPENING IN THE LIFE OF FPC…

            Coffee Hour – There are many, many spaces open in June and July.  The sign up sheets are in Fellowship Hall.  Did I mention there are many spaces open?  If you haven’t signed up recently now is your time.  If you haven’t signed up at all, now is your time. Thank you for helping out with this ministry.

            VBS – Mark your calendars for July 14-19 as we will be celebrating once again Vacation Bible School.  It takes a village to raise a child, but it takes a church to raise a village.  We need all hands on deck to make it successful and to ensure that we are able to be instrumental in shaping and forming this village called Strasburg. 

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e-news for June 20, 2024

Dear FPC family and friends,

            Happy summer solstice everyone!  Yeah, we don’t really celebrate that do we?  When we lived in Russia we had to leave the country periodically to renew our visas so we had the opportunity to go to some really neat places as we were renewing our visas.  One year we went above the arctic circle in Finland.  There were wild reindeer everywhere with population centers few and far between.  We decided to camp out next to this beautiful lake and went to bed around 10 at night, the girls were young then.  The sun was still out but we forced our eyes closed.  Next thing we knew there was laughing and loud music playing, and our tent was surrounded by people caught up in revelry.  We had no idea what was going on and this lasted well into the morning.  As we headed out toward our car that next morning we asked someone what was going on last evening and they told us that since it was June 21 everyone stays up late on the longest day of the year to celebrate the summer solstice.

            Who knew?  European countries, especially the Scandinavian ones, consider this day as being exceptionally special, so much so that they hold parties and festivities across their nations.  The closest thing that we have in the Bible that reflects any kind of a nod to this beginning of summer is found in three places: Genesis 1:14 which states – “And God said, “Let there be lights in the dome of the sky to separate the day from the night; and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years.”  Then again in Genesis 8:22 we read: “As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease.”  Lastly, we read in Psalm 19:6 this about the sun – “Its rising is from the end of the heavens, and its circuit to the end of them, and nothing is hid from its heat.” 

            So, while you suffer under this pretty brutal heat that we have been having over these last few days and which is supposed to last through the weekend, know that there is precedent in Scripture to celebrate the seasons as ordained by God.  Today, this first day of summer, just might be another great opportunity to remember that God has ordained all things.  That is something that makes us uniquely Presbyterian.  We believe so strongly in the providence of God that not even our actions, or our inactions, is able to sway God away from the plans that He has for our lives.  Those plans, if you remember from the many sermons you have heard on this, are for our good and for our success and for our building up and not tearing down.

            We had one of our more memorable session meetings last evening.  It wasn’t just because it was that time again to evaluate your pastor, but part of it was that.  But we were also discussing some pretty sensitive and potentially divisive issues.  Last evening people felt strongly about things and those of us in the room understood that and it came across clearly.  But those of us in the room have also lived life together, we know each other, we love each other, we disagree with each other, but we are family.  Let me just say that last night reinforced for me again your awesomeness, and I’m not the only one who thinks this way.  Church, your leaders are leading and taking initiatives that point to Jesus.

            God’s desire is that His church would be built up and that it would be a source of unity and strength for the world to see.  Somehow as we stumble along trying to discern God’s will, God is using us to show his love and mercy to the world.  Your leaders are doing that, but you are doing that as well.  On this summer solstice be reminded of the providence of God.  God’s will is always done, and that will is for our good.  We see it in nature, and we see it in another routine meeting of our session, which was anything but routine.  Thanks be to God!

Your servant in Christ,

Pastor Bob

HAPPENING IN THE LIFE OF THE CHURCH…

            General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA) – Pastor Bob has been asked to be a commissioner to this 226^th meeting of our denomination.  Wait, is that right?  Yes, since 1789 your church has been meeting either yearly or every two years.  What an honor it is to serve in this capacity.  Starting on Tuesday he will be in committee meetings which will last through the week.  He has been assigned to the Ecumenical and Interfaith Partnerships committee.  After next week he will head to Salt Lake City where he will take part in the plenary session with about 500 other commissioners.  Pray for him as he does this work for our denomination.

            Welcome to Jonathan Jones, our new interim organist/choirmaster: We are so pleased to welcome Jonathan into the FPC family.  He recently graduated from Liberty University and has played for us a couple of times in the past.  His start date will be September 1^st and he is so looking forward to getting to work.  He will be starting the choir back up and is looking at possibilities of a children’s choir as well.  Let’s get behind him and support him and our music ministry.  If you wanted to send him a welcome to his email jjones@straspres.org.

            Also, welcome Sarah McCauley to our FPC family:  Sarah was hired as our 3 year old teacher for our Great Beginnings preschool.  We are so excited to have her on board as she cares for your children.  If you want to welcome her you can reach out to her at this email: smccauley@straspres.org.

            Vacation Bible School: July 14-19: The registration form can be found on the church website under Learn-Children’s Ministry-VBS. Paper copies can be found on the VBS table outside of room #5. 

Save the Date!

Tuesday, August 6^th                National/Strasburg Night Out

Sunday, August 18^th               Annual Church Picnic

Saturday, August 31^st             Bluegrass Festival

FLAT JESUS: Take Jesus with you on your next vacation or day trip! Stop by room 5 for a kid/family bag filled with activities to do while you’re away or pick up a Flat Jesus and pick your own activities. This is a great idea if you’re traveling as a couple or with Grandkids. Take pictures with Flat Jesus wherever you go and send them to Beth Feiler at bfeiler@straspres.org.

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e-news for June 6, 2024

Dear FPC family and friends,

            I am not a fan of war.  But I am a fan of soldiers and all those who serve in our military.  I have been very outspoken in both the media, when needed and in person, about God’s desire that peace would prevail on the earth through His followers.  We are called to be instruments of peace in all that we do.  This is the case not only for armed conflict, but also in regards to interpersonal conflict.  We are called to pursue peace.

            Today is an important day in our national history in regards to war.  The country, the world for that matter, is celebrating the 80 year anniversary of D-Day.  It has been eye-opening, and somewhat moving for me, to see soldiers who took part of that invasion honored today in Normandy, France.  So much of what we consider to be “normal” in our country is often a result of the people who were willing to put their lives on the line in wars that could have gone either way.  There is no stronger critic of war than the current author.  But I think you will also find that there is no stronger ally for the soldier and recognition of sacrifice than the person who is writing to you.

            Many of you have told me that the most difficult part of reading through the Bible was the violence and the bloodshed that is so prevalent in the Old Testament.  It is not something you can ignore or disregard.  But it is also not an aspect of Scripture that you can build a viable theology around.  In Jesus we find one who does not want violence or war and who is able to make all things happen according to His will without war.  But we are sinful and war is a result of the sin that we possess which we are not willing to let go.  In WWII our involvement in D-Day was a result of the sin of greed and power which Nazi Germany was pursuing, Japan as well, during that time.

            The more things change, the more they stay the same.  Today we see attempts to seize more and more power on a world stage which creates war that has the potential to get more and more countries involved.  Russia today is similar to Nazi Germany during the WWII time.  This reality has the potential of involving more and more countries until we get what we got 80 years ago.  But even in our own country it feels like the way of the follower of Jesus (humility, benefit of the doubt, grace) has given way to following the way of the world (pride, conspiracy theories, judgment). 

            We have not in any way become more civilized than the people of Jesus’ day.  We still hunger after those things that will hurt people and create division and factions across the globe.  As a result of this truth 80 years ago men and women in the midst of a war took part in an action that changed the future of our nation and of the globe in general.  Don’t let anyone tell you that we don’t need other people or other nations.  We are all connected.  D-Day proved that.  Any type of political leader who attempts to be an isolationist leaves the world in a place where others will have to step into the vacuum that our nation might create by our exit. 

            While this may sound like a political statement, it has incredible overlap in regards to our faith.  Jesus was not an American.  I say that because I want to make it clear that his actions changed the course of our lives from across the globe.  As Americans we are connected to Europe in a very real way.  D-Day showed that clearly.  That truth remains the same today.  We are called as disciples of Jesus Christ to yearn for a world where peace is found, and peace can only be found if we care about our brothers and sisters across the globe.  Don’t let anyone put you in a box so that you think you must be disconnected from others.  We are not.  We are connected, thanks be to God.

Your servant in Christ,

Pastor Bob

HAPPENING IN THE LIFE OF FPC…

            Congratulations to our Seniors:

                        Katie Barge

                        Mitchell Ely

                        Liam Lutz

                        Artem Nebel

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e-news for May 31, 2024

Dear FPC family and friends,

            It is hard to ignore the headlines in the paper this morning.  My task as pastor is to help guide the church to follow our Savior Jesus Christ as closely as possible while living in this world that is so broken and does not reflect the kingdom that God wants to establish.  I have stayed out of the fray during this whole time and I intend to do the same for the foreseeable future.  I knew from the moment that I was ordained as a Minister of the Word and Sacrament that I had at that moment given up any future political activity.  My call completely superseded any formal political involvement.  So, for the past 30 years I have purposefully stayed out of the fray and focused on Jesus and his words and his actions and his life.  That will not change today, nor will it change tomorrow.  My call is to preach Christ crucified and resurrected, and the headlines in the newspaper today does not change my call.

            But it might change your understanding of the world in which we are living and the country which we love. I have used this space in my enews to comment on those issues that I consider to be “justice issues” where people within our society and culture are treated differently from others because of their race or their financial condition.  But Scripture speaks very specifically to this reality and it defines for us who is our neighbor and how we ought to treat our neighbor.  So, while some of you may think that I may have wandered into politics at times in this space, it is always within the framework of how Scripture addresses a very specific topic. 

            One area that is very close to my heart is how people of color are treated within the judicial system.  I have used this space to talk about this in the past.  The Bible is full of Scriptures that demand that people be treated the same in the judicial system regardless of their status.  The Old Testament if filled with Scriptures that warn against taking advantage of those who are on the margins of society in the courts in order to take what is not theirs.  I do find it very ironic that for decades now people of color have been telling us that the judicial system is not to be trusted because systematically verdicts and juries will decide in ways that are unfair to them.  I’m grateful to hear others join the chorus that our judicial system is not to be trusted, but for a very different reason. 

            Aside from having a daughter who is a public defender, and not being picked for jury duty a few times, I have very little experience with the judicial system.  In the Bible we read that Moses was working himself to death so he set up a number of different people to do some of the less taxing cases while he took on the more important cases.  It is in the times of Moses that we see the start of a judicial system.  We even have a book of the Bible called Judges which lays out the individuals who were chosen by God to lead his people and to decide between right and wrong.  We have books of the Bible filled not just with the 10 commandments but laws that were to be followed by the people of Israel.

            Our country is run in such a way that the judicial system is an integral part of our democracy.  Without the judicial system we would not recognize our way of life.  It is even one of the three branches of government, but this is all very different from the way Scripture has the people of God run their government.  But did you know that Presbyterians had a strong heavy hand in creating our current form of government?  We were there at the beginning when this nation was being formed and the founding fathers were satisfied with the Presbyterian form of government to apply to our nation.

            The decisions that were made yesterday do not impact our personal relationship with Jesus Christ.  The decisions that were made yesterday do not impact the work that this church has to do in the community which God requires us to do.  Our lives are intertwined with each other because Jesus has brought us together.  I pray that as we continue to live our lives in this society and culture which is not the kingdom of God, that we will see Christ at work in our lives and in the life of the church.

Your servant in Christ,

Pastor Bob

HAPPENING IN THE LIFE OF THE CHURCH…

            Last chance to fill out the survey for PSA:  We still need a number of you to fill out the PSA survey.  We are lagging behind our responses from last August.  You can fill it out here:  https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf-TLFxewn47VaBkXf2ZeuUV_my_UmPxfVsvFyGmH4SX91vgw/viewform

            The youth need your help on their mission trip:  Our senior high youth will be headed to West Virginia to help in construction projects.  You can help by providing food to meet their needs while they are there.  Follow this link to help with meeting the needs: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0E48ABAA2CA3F5CF8-47584232-materials#/

            Last Day to experiment by tithing:  If you are not a regular tithing we gave the challenge to tithe during the month of May.  I hope you were able to do that.  I am looking for stories about how God has impacted you as a result of tithing.  Please feel free to reach out to me and let me know how God has impacted you, your life, and your family as a result of your tithing. 

                 VBS CRAFT DAY is June 15th from 9am-12pm. Meet in Fellowship Hall to help make decorations for VBS. If you can’t help on the 15th there are take home plastic bags in room 5 with crafts that you can make at home. 

                 Coffee Hour:  We need people to sign up for the months of June and July.  Please find the sign-up sheet in Fellowship Hall.

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e-news for May 24, 2024

Dear FPC family and friends,

            There are milestones in life that are really important to recognize as we make our way through this time that we have on earth.  We are told about milestones in Jesus’ life that were very important for him and his family.  We read that when he was only 8 days old that he was taken to the temple in order to be circumcised in Luke 2:21.  That was a big deal and it was there that he was given the name Jesus.  When he was 12 we read that he again went to the temple with his family and we can assume that it was in order for him to have his bar- mitzvah in Luke 2:41ff.  It would correspond to our confirmation and Jesus would have had to read the Scripture  and answer question and then he could be recognize as taking the faith of his ancestors on for himself. 

            We have milestones in our lives that are important and which we tend to celebrate.  Birthdays, anniversaries (thank you, thank you, thank you for your generosity and your many, many displays of love that you gave to me this past Sunday on my 30 year ordination anniversary), baptisms, deaths, new buildings and additions, weddings etc., they all have some sort of ceremony or celebration that takes place as a result of some milestone that you have reached in your life.  There is nothing wrong in celebrating milestones.

            We find ourselves on the brink of Memorial Day Weekend, a weekend dedicated to soldiers who have entered that final milestone and given their lives for our freedom.  Jesus reminds us very clearly that there is no greater love that a person can have than to lay down their lives for their friends in John 15:13.  Every Memorial Day I think about how our veterans have lived out this verse of Scripture.  Being willing to lay your life down for someone else is not something that we often ask of anyone except our soldiers, and yet we do ask it of them.  We don’t tend to do a whole lot during the worship service to recognize this day, maybe ask those who have served to stand up and sing a patriotic hymn, but I want you to know how grateful we are as a church.  This church has been through the Civil War, World Wars, and our recent wars, and we are grateful for the veterans who were willing to sacrifice their lives and have given us a real life example of the type of love that Christ states we should all have.

            When you celebrate your next milestone, whatever it might be, give thanks to God for a number of different things, not the least of which is that you live in a country that understands the cost of freedom and celebrates those who paid the ultimate price this weekend.  How can we not make a parallel to the freedom that Christ provided for us with his death on the cross.  Our salvation is real because Jesus chose to be tortured and hung on a cross so that in his resurrection he could conquer death.  The love that Jesus has for us can be reflected in our lives as we look to live in such a way that we would be willing to die for our neighbor.  That is a big deal, it is something that we should never take for granted. 

            This past Sunday you gave me a sign that has my favorite Bible verse, which is John 8:32 which states: “You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free.”  Freedom has always been a driving force in my life and it wasn’t until I understood the entirety of freedom found in Christ that I was willing to give my life to him.  I pray that you have found freedom in Christ and recognize the costly price that was paid for that freedom.  Don’t squander the freedom you have, use it to make a difference.

Your servant in Christ,

Pastor Bob

HAPPENING IN THE LIFE OF FPC…

Memorial Day, Monday, May 27^th Walk with the Memorial Day Float, help throw candy, and represent First Presbyterian Church. Parade forms on Clearview Drive and Susan Ave at 8:30 am.

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e-news for May 17, 2024

Dear FPC family and friends,

            Did you know that since 2011 we have had 7 different transitions at our position of organist/choirmaster?  Let me list the people by their first name that have led the music at the first service since 2011: Holly, Andrew, Adam, Tim, Bruce, Chris, and then Bruce again.  The ability to play an organ and lead a choir is one that is hard to come by.   It takes a very specific skill, and I would even say a very specific heart, to have the ability to not just play, but to lead the congregation in a way that they want to sing the hymns that are presented to them.  Bruce has to be one of the most skilled organists that I have worked with in regards to leading the congregation in singing.  It is clear that he loves Jesus and loves what he does and that emanates from his presence.

            Bruce is going to fully retire after this summer both from FPC and LBC.  He started here in 1978 and gave us two years then, he came back a handful of years ago and gave us a year, and this time around he gave us another two years.  Bruce has been such a great colleague and friend to me personally, and I know to many of you as well.  He will be missed so make sure that you let him know how much you have appreciated his presence with us during this time. 

            We will also be saying goodbye to two other staff people this year as the summer starts.  Megan Childs and Samantha Mills have been our three year old teachers for our preschool.  They both came on board at a very difficult time in the life of the school as we found ourselves in the throes of Covid, a transition in the director of the preschool position, and a lot of growth in our preschool as well.  They stepped in and took on the responsibilities of teaching our children with the love and grace that you would come to expect.  We are sad to see both Megan and Samantha go but we are thrilled for what God has in store for them next in their journey.  Megan will be taking on the position of children’s ministry director for her church and Samantha will be doing student teaching on her way to a teacher’s certificate. 

            Growing up as a missionary kid it was very common for me to have people come and go in my life after only a few years.  I learned to make quick and deep friendships and then transition and make new friendships.  But I have found that having now been in one place for over a decade for the first time in my life, it hurts a little bit more each time someone is no longer a part of my life in the same way that they were before.

            This is true of staff here at First Presbyterian that come and go.  It is true of members who move away or choose to worship elsewhere.  It is true of friends and family as they migrate to different parts of the world.  It seems to hurt a little more now than it ever did when we say goodbye.  When we look at Scripture we know that for the most part everyone knew each other and stayed close by.  People didn’t pack up and move across the country, unless you were being persecuted by Herod (see Matthew 2:14-15). 

            Scripture doesn’t contain the assumption that anyone could move away, like really far away and still somehow keep in touch.  But when you look at the Apostle Paul who planted churches all over the region it is no wonder that people were amazed by how the Holy Spirit was able to work in the people.  They saw it!

            This Pentecost Sunday I encourage you to reconnect with someone who may have moved away or maybe you haven’t connected with in a long time.  See how God might work in that reunion and remember that even if we are separated for a time, the bond that we have in Jesus Christ will always keep us united.

Your servant in Christ,

Pastor Bob

HAPPENING IN THE LIFE OF THE CHURCH…

            Wear Red this Sunday!!  Let’s celebrate Pentecost together this Sunday as we wear red to celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit upon the church. 

            Memorial Day Parade:  Join First Presbyterian Church on our float in the Memorial Day Parade, May 27th. Walk along with us and represent the church. Free hot dogs will follow the parade and service.

            Interested in serving as a short term missionary?:  The Berliner Missionswerk, a partner with PC(USA) has a 10-month opportunity for two people. They need a volunteer to work in a parish with children and youths and a volunteer to work in a diaconal institution for people with disabilities. The position includes housing, pocket money, transport, language course, seminars and support, and insurance. It begins at the beginning of September and ends at the end of June, 2025. Contact Pastor Bob ASAP if interested in this position.

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e-news for May 4, 2024

Dear FPC family and friends,

            For the second week in a row I am writing this enews in a location far away from Strasburg and in what is called the historic South.  I am in Little Rock, Arkansas this week at a Presbyterian camp and conference center called Ferncliff, thanks to a Presbyterian grant for pastors where I am participating in what is called CREDO.  There are three times that CREDO is offered for pastors: pastors who are beginning their ministry (Brett Foote was here last week in this category!), pastors who are in the middle of their ministry (I did this during COVID), and Late Career pastors.  Yup, you guessed it, I am officially in that category that is called late career.  Basically, I think it just means that you are old!  Can you really be in your late career when you are 55?  I feel like we just got started together and we have so much more to do together.

            It has been an impactful week.  Unlike last week when I was in Nashville with Stacy, here I am by myself supposed to be doing reflecting and discerning on how God continues to work within my life so that I can come back better equipped to work in the life of the church.  You know me well enough that I don’t always do well at self-reflection or discernment.  But I have learned a lot of practical information that relates to Presbyterian pastors and how well we are taken care of by our Board of Pensions. 

            There does seem to be a bit of a disconnect between Jesus who tells those who might follow him that the Son of Man, and so his disciples by extension, may not have a place to lay their head.  We spend a lot of resources and energies in our denomination to take care of our pastors, and I’m so, so grateful for that.  I have the best of both worlds.  My congregation takes care of me big time, and so does the denomination.  But the disconnect is that Jesus warns us that we should not be expecting what the world expects as followers of Jesus.  When we demand or expect the same as what culture has to offer, then we stop following Christ for the kingdom’s sake and it becomes more following Him for our sake.

            Out of the 25 pastors who are here I have heard maybe only a partial handful of pastors who love their church and love what they are doing.  I have to say, being here makes me soooo grateful to be your pastor.  You are an awesome church filled with awesome people.  Trust me, this is not the norm, I am seeing the norm, and you are not it, praise be to God! 

            What I see starting to happen within me is a sense of gratitude for you that can only be reflected in Paul’s words to the Galatians where he tells them – I thank God every day for you.  You are willing to listen and pursue the kingdom of God whether that is in focusing on Prayer, Scripture and Action (please fill out the survey here, we really want your feedback  PSA survey), or serving our neighbor through the foodbank, and by agreeing to fund CIC which continues to have a powerful impact on our community.  Consider that in the Presbyterian Church the average pastorate is 4 years and you have been able to have a pastor stay for 18 years (Jim Powl), 12 years (Steve and Jennie Clark) and we are working together on 13 years.  This tells a story that you know how to love pastors and you want to have a pastor who is willing to push you to new understandings of the Gospel.

            What’s that saying: absence makes the heart grow fonder?  I do feel that every time that I get away to do these kinds of continuing education events I can’t wait to get back with you to not only share what I have learned, but simply because I have missed you and want to share life with you, again. 

Your servant in Christ,

And your late career pastor (ouch)

Pastor Bob

May is tithing month:  As we heard last Sunday during worship, if you have never tithed before, try it out in May and see how God is able to bless you in ways that you never imagined.  Scripture clearly tells us that if we want to experience the fullness of a relationship with Christ we must trust Him with everything.  Tithing is the most clear way to make that happen.  I would love to hear how it goes so let me hear your stories as you go through May tithing month.

            Thursday evening Bible Study on May 9^th at 6pm

            Final steps for PSA (Prayer, Scripture, Action):  Next Sunday, May 5 we will have a minute for mission which will draw to a close our initiative of Prayer, Scripture, and Action.  We have a survey that we would love for everyone to take which serves as a tool to measure the impact of our initiative.  You can fill it out here: PSA survey

            Wear Red for worship on Pentecost, Sunday May 19

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e-news for April 27, 2024

Dear FPC family and friends,

            Do you know this hymn? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbgG0Monvd8

            This past week I attended a preacher’s conference called The Fellowship Community in Nashville, Tennessee.  It was a powerful conference, and it was one of those conferences that ten years from now people will talk about as a transformative one for our denomination.  The Fellowship Community tends to gather the remaining more conservative Presbyterian Church (USA) churches.  We were led to consider what it means to be in the world but not of it.  When I say we, I mean both Stacy and I were able to attend.  It is the first time in our 30 years of ministry that we attended together a preacher’s conference. 

            The last day that we were there we were told that a special guest would be presenting and it happened to be the author of the above hymn, Keith Getty.  Nashville is the home to a myriad of musical talents, which is no wonder why it is called the music city.  The worship that we experienced at the conference was uplifting and incredibly moving.  Picture yourself in a room with over 500 pastors and elders singing at the top of their lungs to the glory of God led by world talent who love Jesus.  Yeah, that’s what it was like. 

            I was certainly refreshed at the conference.  I also learned a lot that I hope to share with you in regards to what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ who lives in the world and yet struggles to differentiate ourselves from the world.  How do our lives look different as followers of Jesus from that of our neighbor who maybe doesn’t know Jesus and has no interest in the Gospel?  That’s the challenge isn’t it?  We are called to live in the world but to not take on the interests and values of the world. 

            But the opposite is also true.  We are not called to set fire to the world and declare all that is in the world to be evil.  It simply is not.  God created us in His own image and so we are fundamentally made good.  Similarly, the world was created by God and he proclaimed: It is good!  What we do in the church has to be directed to proclaiming Jesus as Lord and Savior and us as His followers.  If there is anything that draws us away from God or makes people stumble when they look at our lives then we have to reconsider the direction of our lives. 

            I did notice something at the conference that made me extremely grateful for you and your loyalty to the church and to Jesus.  There were many at the conference who were looking for pastors to serve in their church.  I met three people from the church where I had interned while I was in Seminary, in Beverly, New Jersey.  I recognized them and they recognized me and we reminisced about this 22 year old seminary student who thought he had the answers to everything (the more things change…).  But today they are struggling and have been searching for 5 years for a pastor.

            I am so grateful for your faithfulness to this church and your love for each other and Jesus.  Our family is unique, our love for each other is nothing to take for granted.  Our ministry is significant within our community and is making a lasting impact upon our children, youth, families and older adults.  Every demographic group is represented in our church and has a desire to do the will of God.  It could be very different, but you have made Christ a priority and so it is a joy to serve you.  You have truly lived out the words of the hymn: “Till He returns or calls me home, here in the power of Christ I’ll stand.”  Thank you for being faithful.

Your servant in Christ,

Pastor Bob

HAPPENING IN THE LIFE OF FPC…

            May is tithing month:  As we heard last Sunday during worship, if you have never tithed before, try it out in May and see how God is able to bless you in ways that you never imagined.  Scripture clearly tells us that if we want to experience the fullness of a relationship with Christ we must trust Him with everything.  Tithing is the most clear way to make that happen.  I would love to hear how it goes so let me hear your stories as you go through May tithing month.

            50^th Wedding Anniversary of John and Glenna Kirchner, shhhhh… it’s a secret:  How special it would be to send a card or a note of congratulations to John and Glenna on their 50^th wedding anniversary on May 4^th.  Let’s cover them with cards and letters.  You can do so by sending it to their home address or place it in their church mailbox.  Their home address is:  253 Julia Ave, Strasburg, PA 17579.

            No Bible Study until May 9^th, Pastor Bob will be away on continuing education next week.

            Final steps for PSA (Prayer, Scripture, Action):  Next Sunday, May 5 we will have a minute for mission which will draw to a close our initiative of Prayer, Scripture, and Action.  We have a survey that we would love for everyone to take which serves as a tool to measure the impact of our initiative.  You can fill it out here: PSA survey

            Wear Red for worship on Pentecost, Sunday May 19

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e-news for April 19, 2024

Dear FPC family and friends,

            We had our monthly session meeting this past Wednesday.  Each month there tends to be enough information and business that takes place that it is important that the congregation is aware of all that is happening within the life of the church.  I guess this is something that differentiates us as a mainline church from other churches that maybe don’t have the history or the transparency that we might have.  You already know that you can look at our yearly report and see all of the details of our budget and our expenditures from previous years, as well as read up on what has been done in the church throughout the year.

            But our monthly session meetings also provide incredibly transparency as each decision that is made in the life of our church is funneled through this primary governing body.  This Session is composed of 12 men and women who have been elected by you to run the church as the Holy Spirit leads them.  So what did we do Wednesday evening?  We began the evening with what is called Lectio Divino, which is a fancy Latin term for the reading of Scripture with a deliberate method to welcome the Spirit of God to guide us as we read it.  We read the Scripture, then we asked for a word of phrase that stuck out while we were reading it.  People spoke up and offered a word or phrase that was in the Scripture.  We then read the Scripture again and asked for a reason why that particular word of phrase stuck out.  Then we read it a third time and closed by asking God to lead us in our decision making.

            Your session is devoted to ensuring that all that is done in this church is led by God and inspired by His wisdom.  We are blessed to have a significant memorial mission fund over which we our Mission and Finance Committee will have oversight.  If you know of a ministry or missionaries that might need funding, please let your session know.  As a result of this action we looked at our very own CIC (Community Impact Committee) and decided to fund it with $10,000 for this year.  This group within our church has been able to help 56 families over this past year and a half with financial help for utilities, rent, and other emergent needs.  This funding will help significantly families within our community.

            We talked about our day of Action which is this Sunday.  We want to be sure that you sign up to either write letters to those who have not been able to make it to church lately, we also have an opportunity to write letters to those who are having birthdays and anniversaries, as well as letters to the incarcerated.  For those who are little more creative we will be decorating bags for Meals on Wheels as well. 

            As I have been saying we need people who are willing to mulch as well.  We have five houses that we are going to mulch and we have teams set up to go to those houses.  We can always use more people.  It is not too late to sign up.  Some people have wanted to know what to expect and what do they need to bring for this day of action.  If you signed up to write letters or to decorate bags then after the luncheon we will all be in Fellowship Hall.  We will have everything you need from markers and crayons and stickers and what not to paper and envelopes for the letters.  We will also have templates that you can follow so you don’t have to make things up on your own.  There will be people there who can guide you and direct you and who will be overseeing the letter writings and the bag decorating.  Just come and get to work!

            If you are signing up to mulch at homes then it would be great if you can bring your mulching tools.  If you have a wheelbarrow, gloves, rakes, weeding tools etc.  But, if you don’t have any of those things, that’s okay too!  Just show up and we will put you to work.  We are blessed to have great teams of people willing to help out and be involved in this day of Action.  We are blessed to be a part of a church that is willing to pursue the will of God in an open and transparent way.

Your servant in Christ,

Pastor Bob

HAPPENING IN THE LIFE OF FPC…

            Pentecost Sunday on May 19:  Join the rest of the FPC family in wearing red when you come to church on that day.  Let’s celebrate the birthday of the Christian church by praising God for the gift of the Holy Spirit.

            Mark your calendars for the church picnic:  It is not too early to put down August 18 for the date of the church picnic at Tinney Pavillion.  Mark the date down and get your corn hole team together!

            DAY OF ACTION THIS SUNDAY, APRIL 21

DID YOU KNOW?

            Burn the mortgage at Shiloh Presbyterian in Oxford:  Two representatives from First Presbyterian have been invited to take part in the celebration at Shiloh Presbyterian Church in Oxford as they celebrate paying off their mortgage for this multi-purpose building.  This church which is very active within its community with a variety of outreach programs is celebrating this milestone which FPC Strasburg helped to accomplish.  Steve Hess and Pastor Bob will be celebrating on your behalf.

            Delegate to this year’s General Assembly in Salt Lake City, Utah:  Pastor Bob has been asked to serve as a delegate to this year’s PC(USA) General Assembly in Salt Lake City Utah.  Please join in prayer for him and the church as they seek out God’s guidance for the future of the denomination.

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e-news for April 11, 2024

Dear FPC family and friends,

            After the service this past Sunday I had a conversation with one of you and you said something like: “I was proud to be a Presbyterian today.”  It is rare that a local church gets a visit from a serving Moderator of the PC(USA).  Worship was stunning, the Holy Spirit was moving not only in a palpable way but in a visible way as well.  One of you mentioned to me that you saw a glow surrounding the participants and could only attribute it to the presence of the Holy Spirit.  It was a Sunday that we will all remember probably for the rest of our lives.  Thank you for being a part of it, thank you for allowing the presence of the Holy Spirit to move in a way that impacted all of us powerfully.  You are a great church and the Holy Spirit is moving greatly among us.

            These moments in the life of a church can shape it and have the potential for transforming it.  I can think back on the life of this church and identify a number of pivotal moments that have if not changed the course, at least had a very significant impact on the trajectory of the church.  There are positive events, like what we experienced this past Sunday.  And there are also events that have set us back.  But we have all lived through and can identify ways in which that which takes place will be remembered and will be looked back on as being pivotal.  This past Sunday was such an event.

Let’s switch gears a bit and let’s keep talking about PSA because we have the third part of it, Action, coming up very quickly.  We do need everyone to sign up to take part in the action that we have laid out before us.  There is something for everyone.  If you are not able to go out and mulch then you able to decorate bags for meals on wheels.  If you are not able to mulch then you can write letters to the incarcerated and those who are shut in.  But if you can mulch, sign up to mulch! 

            After church on April 21^st we will be having a meal together.  Please plan on joining us ever if you are not involved in the day of Action for some reason.  There is so much to be said to breaking bread together.  There is a lot to be said for working together side by side and shoulder to shoulder as we serve those that God has put before us.  I know it feels like for two weeks in a row we are addressing the importance of action as a church community.  It should feel that way because it is that way.

            You have heard ad nauseum the emphasis that we have on Matthew 25 and the command that we receive from our Savior to be involved in action that alleviates the every day stresses of life.  If people are living around us without the basic necessities or without the presence of people who love them, it is our responsibility as a church to meet those needs.  We can’t wash our hands of the needs that we see around us and say that it isn’t our job.  We can’t place parameters around people to try to distinguish who deserves our help and who doesn’t.

            Remember what we learn from Scripture, that even while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.  In the midst of our own sin, Jesus didn’t choose to place an obstacle to prevent our salvation, he removed all obstacles.  Doesn’t it make sense that we do the same with whatever resources that we have, that we remove whatever obstacles might be in the way that prevent us from providing support, companionship, real love of neighbor action to those with whom we come into contact?  Yes, it not only makes sense but from my viewpoint it seems to be a commandment. 

            So please take this day of Action seriously and consider signing up to do something after church after we have our meal together.  This strengthens us as a community while at the same time strengthening the greater community in which we find ourselves.

Your servant in Christ,

Pastor Bob

HAPPENING IN THE LIFE OF FPC…

            Day of Action on April 21:  Join us for a meal after worship and then we go out and serve the community.  There are sign up sheets in the welcome area under the TV screen where you can sign up to take part in this action.  We need all of you to participate. 

            Pentecost:  Join us in worship on May 19 and wear red to celebrate the presence of the Holy Spirit in our midst.

            Bible Study this evening:  Join us this evening for Bible Study at 6pm.  You can join us here: Youtube

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e-news for April 5, 2024

Dear FPC family and friends,

            The steering committee for Prayer, Scripture and Action met this week.  We are in the very last home stretch of this initiative.  We only have two items left to accomplish: the day of action and the final evaluation.  We will be having a day of action on Sunday, April 21, 2024.  That is two weeks from this Sunday!  During this day of action we are asking every person in the church to sign up to do something that will reach out in help and concern to their neighbor.  We will have opportunities for you to write to people who are incarcerated (see Matthew 25), you can write to our shut-ins, you can decorate food bags for Meals on Wheels, you can get on a team of people who are mulching houses of individuals.  We will have enough spaces for everyone who wants to volunteer to help out. 

            But wait, there is more.  After church on the 21^st, before we head out to do our action, we will be having a meal together.  We have talked a lot recently about the work that Jesus did around a table.  Jesus at the Last Supper gave his disciples a new commandment which was to love one another.  This may not sound new, but loving one another in deed and truth (look at I John 3:18) is part of the action to which we are called.  Remember what righteousness is?  Acting according to the will of God.

            Once that day is completed and we have purposefully carried out actions of righteousness toward our neighbor, we will then evaluate ourselves once again.  Remember when we did that in January?  Remember when well over 100 of you filled out forms that helped to measure our relationship with Jesus in regards to our Prayer, Scripture and Action?  Well, we are going to do that again.  So here is what I am asking.  Can you please sign up to do action on April 21^st?  There is something, at least one thing, for everyone.  If you aren’t into writing letters, then come mulch with us.  If you aren’t into writing letters or mulching, come decorate a bag with us.  If you aren’t into any of those things, then call people who haven’t been here in a while and tell them you miss them?  We will have sign up sheets under the TV in the common area where you can sign up for one of these things.

            This church has been and continues to be a church of action.  Your support for our foodbank has created opportunities for people to live a higher quality of life as a result of your outreach.  Your support of the church budget where over 10% of your donations go out to organizations and missionaries who are helping people in need is another manifestation of your devotion to ensuring that you not only believe in Jesus, but that you want to act like Jesus.  We can never separate what we believe from what we do.  I mean we can, but it does create a hypocrisy which drives people away from the church.

            When a church is only interested in its own future, or in its own growth, or in its own safety and resources, then it stops being the bride of Christ and becomes a self-absorbed social club.  That is never what we want to become.  We exist to bring people closer to Christ.  We exist to bring the love of Christ to the community in tangible real ways.  We do a pretty good job of that, but we should never rest on our laurels thinking that our job is finished.  It is not, we work, hopefully tirelessly, for the kingdom. Thank you for welcoming this final phase of Prayers, Scripture and Action.  Now sign up!

Your servant in Christ,

Pastor Bob

            ONE SERVICE THIS SUNDAY, APRIL 7, AT 10AM AS WE WELCOME THE MODERATOR OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH (USA) Ruth Santana-Grace

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e-news for March 28, 2024

Dear FPC family and friends,

            Maundy Thursday is this evening.  I went back over some old yearly reports and did you know that in the mid 80’s we had two Maundy Thursday services and close to 250 people attended those services?  I think last year we had 30 people attend.  I love Maundy Thursday and the recognition that Jesus and his disciples were gathered around the Upper Room to take part in their last supper together.  As we gather around the table we are fully aware that when we take part in the sacrament of communion something is happening that is bigger than we are, and bigger than what the church is as well.

            I looked at our virtual attendance on Sundays.  Did you know that on our website we get close 50 people logging in and watching our services?  On Facebook between the church site and my own site we have over 100, and on Youtube we get close to 50 people who are watching.  Now, those numbers aren’t totally accurate.  You could watch five minutes of our service on a Friday morning and that would count as a view, but there are real people who continue to follow along in the life of the church and the worship of the church who do not come into the church.  So, for example, we had more people streaming the Maundy Thursday service last year than attended, a lot more. 

            This is all very new to me and so I don’t know exactly how to interpret it.  Theologically I can’t even put a Scripture to it to help me understand what is going on and how to contextualize a whole third group of people who make up a part of this church (first service, second service, and virtual watchers).  How do we minister to those who participate virtually?  How do we meet their spiritual, pastoral, fellowship needs?  These are all questions that I simply don’t have an answer to, and so I wanted to share them with you, burden you with them, so that we can work together to figure out what all of this means.

            I do know that church is not a location, that it is a gathering of people.  But when the people are not gathered together in person but separately just at the same time, is that still church?  Of course it is!  I think, I mean we know that the Holy Spirit moves most powerfully when his faithful, and not so faithful, followers are together doing God’s work.  Church has to be something we do together, in person.  That is where God is able to move more powerfully.  The power of Maundy Thursday is not in witnessing communion, but in taking part together in communion, around the same table, hearing the same words, and being equipped by the same Holy Spirit.

            I don’t want to sound like the get off my lawn guy, but maybe it is as simple as church is people gathered together in one place at the same time.  Anything else is watching church, or spectating church, but not the church acting and active and alive.  We know that location matters in real estate, I am convinced that it matters for church as well.  Will you spend some time in trying to help us figure out how do we minister to those who are actively part of FPC and yet worship with us virtually?  Send me some of your ideas.  Part of the problem is that we don’t have a footprint of their watching which identifies them.  We actually don’t know who is joining us on Sunday morning, just how many and from which state.

            That’s a lot to think about on a Maundy Thursday.  I pray that you are having a blessed Holy Week, and maybe you might consider joining us in person this Maundy Thursday at 7, or Good Friday at 7, or Easter Sunday at 8:30 or 11.

Your servant in Christ,

Pastor Bob

HAPPENING IN THE LIFE OF FPC…

            One service on Sunday, April 7, at 10am – Join us on April 7 at 10am as we greet the Moderator of the Presbyterian Church (USA) Ruth Santana-Grace.  There will be no Sunday School that Sunday.  We will have a massive choir that Sunday.  Won’t you join us in the choir?  Rehearsals will be Thursday, April 4 at 7:30 and Sunday the 7^th at 9:15.

            Bible Study this evening at 6pm here:  YouTube

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e-news for March 20, 2024

Dear FPC family and friends,

            We have session this evening.  Believe it or not I do look forward to the session meetings and being together with those elected by you to make decisions on behalf of the congregation.  Our constitution states that there is no reason to deny anyone membership not related to their profession of faith.  So, if you love Jesus Christ you are welcome into membership in this church.  Our constitution also states that the session should conduct a “careful examination” of all those seeking membership.  This evening session will be involved in a “careful examination” of those confirmation youth who have spent the last 6 months with me and Kristin learning about their faith and about the life of the church.

            Confirmation is not unique to the Presbyterian Church, but we certainly do take it seriously here.  The youth undergo a 6-month process where they learn about Bible basics, History of our people, Theology and Sacraments, and Church Government.  They are plied with a lot of information and hopefully some of it will stick with them once they meet with session this evening.  But from the beginning of the class Kristin and I have emphasized that the head knowledge which they receive is not nearly as important as their heart following Jesus.  Without a personal relationship with your Savior this information will remain that, information.

            Confirmation is a time when these youth make a decision for Jesus and confirm the promises that their parents made to the congregation that they will raise the child up in the church so that this child will one day confirm that Jesus Christ is their Lord and Savior.  They are no longer coasting on the coattails of their parents’ faith.  It is now their faith that matters, and that faith needs to be one that is personal and not just a summary of information that might label them as a Christian.  We do confirmation so that these youth can know Jesus personally and follow him for the rest of their lives not as a name, but as a person with whom they have a relationship.

            I ask that you pray for these youth this evening and for the rest of their lives.  They are Connor Allison, Lucas Ely, and Garrett Thomas.  Connor and Garrett were baptized by me about 12 or 13 years ago.  Lucas will always be remembered for a lot of things including when he was a second grader and asked during the service why he didn’t get a 2^nd grade Bible.  He did eventually get one.  They are children of this church, they grew up in this church, we have seen them wander our hallways and we have prayed that this day would come for them.  Confirmation Sunday is always on Youth Sunday and this year it will be held on April 14.  Come and join us and see your youth make a decision for Jesus Christ.

            I pray that as you read about the decision that they have made and the road that led to this decision you may be inspired on your own to take your own faith more seriously.  What does it mean to be not just a member, or a Christian, but a follower of Jesus?  What do we do on a daily basis to strengthen our faith so that we and our family can be drawn closer to our Savior.  Historically Easter was the time when new believers would come into the fold.  In the first few centuries of the Christian church baptism only took place on Easter.  Let this season of the church year be a motivation for all of us to understand how God is calling us to be in a new relationship with Him.

Your servant in Christ,

Pastor Bob

HAPPENING IN THE LIFE OF FPC…

            Bible Study on Thursday Evenings:  And we’re baaack!  Join us this Thursday at 6pm here for our weekly (almost) Bible Study.  Youtube

            READ THROUGH THE BIBLE in 78 hours: Sign up to read through the Bible for an hour (or more) here at FPCS. From 6am, Tuesday, March 26 th – 11am, Friday, March 29th we need volunteers to read for one hour in the Sanctuary here at church. Please sign up on the green sign-up sheets located on the welcome desk.  Right now we have 32 spots that are open.  If we are not able to get that number down to single digits we won’t really be able to do it.  Consider it!

WEDNESDAY MORNING WALK/RUN GROUP: Wednesday mornings (weather permitting) we will meet at the church parking lot at 5:25am and take off at 5:30am sharp. We will embark on 3, one mile loops through town, each loop ending at the church before starting the next. All are welcome! You can walk, run, or both. You can do 1, 2, or all 3 miles and then some! Questions, or to be added to the text message update group please contact Dillon Sickler at 484-467-1587.

            Stuffing Easter Eggs: We will be stuffing Eggs for the Easter Egg Hunt on Sunday, March 24^th right after the second service in Fellowship Hall. Please sign up on the sign-up sheet under the TV by the welcome area. We need lots of hands to help and lunch will be provided. Also, you will find a sign-up sheet under the TV in the welcome area for items needed to fill the eggs. Please have all donations back to the welcome area by Friday, March 22nd . All items should be individually wrapped and nut free.

            Wings and Things:  Gather with the men of FPCS for wings, or another dish of your liking every first Sunday of the month at 5pm. Our next gathering will be April 7 @ 5pm at “The

Tavern” at Springhouse.

            Lenten and Easter Services:  Today: 12 pm Wednesday Lenten Service Schedule with lunchMarch 20 First Presbyterian Church of Strasburg

HOLY WEEK SCHEDULE

Palm Sunday March 24 8:30am and 11am

Maundy Thursday March 28 7pm

Community Good Friday Tenebrae March 29 7pm

Community Easter Sunrise Service March 31 6:30am – St. Michael’s Lutheran Church,

40 E. Main St.

Easter Sunday March 31 8:30am and 11am

            Easter Egg Hunt:  Join us for our 12^th annual Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday, March 20 at 10am.  Invite all the children that you know in this world to come and take part.  It is a big community outreach for the church and a great opportunity for you to get to know and meet the families of Strasburg.  Come and help and invite others.

            IF Women’s Conference:  Begins on Friday evening and goes through Saturday afternoon.  It can make a difference in your life!  All women are invited.  Speak to Kristin Kondratowski if you are interested or just show up.

            APRIL 7 SINGLE SERVICE AT 10AM:  We are so pleased to welcome to First Presbyterian Ruth Santana-Grace the current co-Moderator of the Presbyterian Church (USA).  Following the 10am service we will have a luncheon with an opportunity for Q and A.  Join us!

            March Madness:  Don’t forget to fill out your bracket to take part in the FPC bracket challenge.  Deadline is Thursday at noon.

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e-news for March 7, 2024

Dear FPC family and friends,

            We have an event that is coming up which is exciting for me personally and historical for our church as a whole.  The Presbyterian Church (USA) is composed of over 1 million members across the United States.  The denomination’s oldest Presbytery is in our back yard, Philadelphia Presbytery, which began gathering Presbyterian churches in 1706.  Now, that may not sound very old to our Anabaptist brothers and sisters around us, but for us that’s pretty old.  Every two years the national church body meets as a whole at what is called the General Assembly.  At this bi-annual General Assembly the body elects a Moderator of the church whose responsibility it is to represent the church for their two year term in all matters ecclesiastical.  They are, for lack of a better word, the figurehead of the church for those two years.

            We are honored to have the current Moderator of the Presbyterian Church (USA) Ruth Santana-Grace come and preach for us on April 7, 2024.  While we do not tend to rely upon church tradition or religious trappings for our worship and faith, history matters.  From where you come makes a difference for who you are.  Think of the impact that your father and/or your mother has made upon who you are today.  I know, I know, not all of it is good, but you are shaped not just by your own experiences that you have personally gone through, but you are inevitably shaped by the experiences of those who have gone before you as well.  You cannot avoid that as much as you may want to.

            As a result, the presence of a Moderator of the Presbyterian Church (USA) is not going to change the course of the church in the present or in the near future.  But it is still pretty cool.  Let me tell you something about Ruth.  Stacy and I went to seminary together with her and some of our interests aligned.  When we served in Italy at the orphanage she headed up the Waldensian Society which provided some of our support here in the US.  We stayed in touch and went to Israel together in 1999 with a group of classmates from Princeton.  When she moved to Philadelphia as its Executive Presbyter, after a stint on the West Coast, it was nice to have her close by to call and ask for insight into pastoral realities that I was facing here in Strasburg. 

            Ruth represents the denomination well.  Her loyalty to the church and her love for Jesus is unquestionable.  Her determination that the church work out with fear and trembling their responsibility in regards to Matthew 25 is tireless.  I think you can see how many of our passions and our goals overlap for the church.  We are looking to celebrate her presence with us together.  As a result, we will have one service at 10am on April 7.  After our service together, we will have a luncheon where we can meet her more personally.  In her role of Moderator we are inviting the other 49 churches of the Donegal Presbytery to join us for worship and for the luncheon. I hope it will be a huge celebration. 

            I do hope you will come and join us for this historic occasion.  There probably will be a little more pomp involved than what we are used to, but that’s also okay.  For every season under heaven there is a time.  We find ourselves in a time where God is at work powerfully in this church here in little old Strasburg, a little national exposure won’t hurt.  But remember, our goal remains the same.  What can we do to fulfill Colossians 1:28 which is to present everyone mature in Christ?   This might be a step in the right direction as we continue to fulfill this mandate.

Your servant in Christ,

Pastor Bob

HAPPENING IN THE LIFE OF FPC…

            Lenten services & luncheons:  Join us for weekly services here at First Presbyterian Church offered by the Strasburg Ministerium. 12 pm Wednesday Lenten Service Schedule with lunch             

March 13 St. Michael’s Lutheran

March 20 First Presbyterian Church of Strasburg

*All services will be held in the sanctuary here at First Presbyterian Church. The noon services will be followed by a luncheon. Join us!

Holy week schedule

Palm Sunday                                                   March 24  8:30am & 11am

Maundy Thursday                                           March 28  7pm

Good Friday Tenebrae                                    March 29  7pm

Community Easter Sunrise Service                March 31  6:30am-St. Michael’s Lutheran                                  Church, 40 E. Main St.

Easter Sunday                                                 March 31  8:30am & 11am

Great Beginnings preschool registration for the 2024-2025 school year is open! Contact Heather Reynolds, Administrative Director at hreynolds@straspres.org or 717-617-9501, or pick up an application at the church office or the preschool mailbox.

READ THROUGH THE BIBLE in 78 hours: Sign up to read through the bible for an hour (or more) here at FPCS. From 6am, Tuesday, March 26th – 11am, Friday, March 29th we need volunteers to read for one hour in the Sanctuary here at church. Please sign up on the green sign-up sheets located on the sign up racks.

Easter Egg Hunt:  It is that time of the year again.  Join us as we celebrate Easter with a fun filled activity for our youngest in the church family.  The hunt will be on March 30 at 10am.  All children up through 5^th grade are welcome. 

IF Conference:  A global event for women will be live streamed here at FPC.  You can register for the conference by reaching out the Kristin Kondratowski at kristin@straspres.org. 

NO BIBLE STUDY FOR THIS EVENING!!

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e-news for March 1, 2024

Dear FPC family and friends,

Of course we sang Sanctuary.  The retreat was a time when in all that we did we asked the Lord to prepare us to do His bidding so that we could be prepared to work for His kingdom.  Now, not everything we did at the retreat seemed to track with the theme of Prayer, Scripture and Action, but much of it did.  Our time watching Sister Act reminded us that it takes being in the lives of those inside and outside the church in order to revitalize and fulfill God’s desires for us.  Saturday was a day full of focused opportunities to pray, read Scripture, and understand more about God’s calling for us to act according to his purposes. 

I led us in a time where we could understand prayer better.  I gave a background to the Why of prayer (because the Bible and our history tells us so).  This then moved to the How of prayer (make sure our bodies are open to a posture of receiving the Holy Spirit as He indwells us and that our minds are focused upon the presence of God in Scripture that draws us back to His presence).  Then finally we prayed for about 20 minutes, which felt like 2 minutes. 

Jen Eisenberg led us in a practical course on how to read Scripture as we looked at John 4.  We learned to identify the people who were present, the crises which may have found themselves all throughout the Scripture, the location of where it was all taking place.  There are so many details in the Scripture that speak to the meaning and the purpose of Jesus’ teachings that often we miss the most basic, but important details.  Did you know that the woman left her jar at the well when she went back to tell her people in the Samaritan village?

Finally, my brother David led us in an in depth study of Christian social action.  He identified the differences between relief, development, and justice work, all of which are required by the people of God.  He called out the difficulties which could arise if a body of Christ sees one as more important than the other, or when one of them is described as not being the work of the church.  Each of these things are actions that are required by the body of Christ, but none of them should be exclusively emphasized.

After the hard work of focusing on prayer, Scripture, and action we were able to enjoy lazer tag with only a couple of casualties.  That was followed by an evening around a campfire highlighted by a full moon and smores.  Then off to glow in the dark dodgeball which left its mark as the next morning some of us could barely move our right arm.  It really felt like a wonderful mix of learning and fellowship combined with fun and great food.  Yes, we ate really well over the entire weekend and they had a fancy coffee maker where we could get a double espresso or latte at any time you wanted, 24/7.  What more could you want?

We left the retreat desiring greatly to do this again.  If you were not able to make it this time, know that there are about 100 folks in the church who could speak to the retreat and its efficacy. Keep your eyes peeled for a similar opportunity in 2025.  No decisions have been made yet, but why not keep doing things that work?

Your servant in Christ,

Pastor Bob

HAPPENING IN THE LIFE OF FPC…

READ THROUGH THE BIBLE in78 hours. We will be reading through the Bible from beginning to end during Holy Week.  Sign up to read through the bible for an hour (or more) here at FPCS. From 6am, Tuesday, March 26^th – 11am, Friday, March 29^th we need volunteers to read for one hour in the Sanctuary here at church. Please sign up on the green sign-up sheets located on the welcome desk.

One Great Hour of Sharing:  This year we will be celebrating ONE GREAT HOUR OF SHARING on Palm Sunday, March 24^th.  It is a yearly special offering that helps the Presbyterian Church (USA) reach out to millions of people who lack access to sustainable food sources, clean water, sanitation, education, and opportunity.

               Stuffing Easter Eggs: We will be stuffing Eggs for the Easter Egg Hunt on Sunday, March 24th right after the second service in Fellowship Hall. Please sign up on the sign-up sheet under the TV by the welcome area. We need lots of hands to help and lunch will be provided. Also, you will find a sign-up sheet under the TV in the welcome area for items needed to fill the eggs. Please have all donations back to the welcome area by Friday, March 22^nd. All items should be individually wrapped and nut free.

WINGS & THINGS Ÿ Gather with the men of FPCS for wings, or another dish of your liking every first Sunday of the month at 5pm. Our next gathering will be March 3 @ 5pm at “The Tavern” at Springhouse.

WEDNESDAY MORNING WALK/RUN GROUP Ÿ Wednesday mornings (weather permitting) we will meet at the church parking lot at 5:25am and take off at 5:30am sharp. We will embark on 3, one mile loops through town, each loop ending at the church before starting the next. All are welcome! You can walk, run, or both. You can do 1, 2, or all 3 miles and then some! Questions, or to be added to the text message update group please contact Dillon Sickler at 484-467-1587.

               Sunday, April 7, 2024  First Presbyterian Church of Strasburg

10am Worship Service

Join us for a visit of the Co-Moderator of the PCUSA, 

Rev. Ruth Faith Santana-Grace:  Rev. Ruth Faith Santana-Grace was a classmate of Pastor Bob and Stacy at Princeton Theological Seminary. Following seminary they worked together with the Waldensian Church in Italy. She then served as an Associate Pastor at First Presbyterian Church in Bethlehem, PA. She then became Executive Presbyter of San Gabriel Presbytery in Southern California.

            Want to follow along with the work of Melissa Long:  You can sign up to receive her newsletter here: http://eepurl.com/ifj2KT

            Bible Study every Thursday evening:  You can join us here – Youtube

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e-news for February 22, 2024

Dear FPC family and friends, 

Two weeks in a row and we are going to be talking about the church-wide retreat at Black Rock.  Wait, before I do that I need to tell you something: WORSHIP THIS SUNDAY AT 10AM ONLY!!!  WE WILL BE AT BLACK ROCK BUT YOU CAN COME TO FPC AND SEE THE STREAM FROM BLACK ROCK.

We are so looking forward to welcoming you at Black Rock and know that you will experience the presence of the Lord in a powerful way in your time there.  There are a few things you should know that we wanted to get to you before you head over to the center tomorrow.

            When you arrive at Black Rock head straight to the Maranatha building.  There you will see FPC folks ready to greet you.  We will be registering at the Cedar room in the Maranatha Center.  When you get to the Cedar room you will pick up your room key along with your lanyard and folder, which includes a full rundown of what will be happening. If you are not staying overnight, please come to the Cedar room to register. If you happen to have any food allergies, please let Black Rock know by following this link: Food Allergy Form.  If by chance you have any questions or wanted to know more, or if you happen to arrive on Saturday and need to talk to Alice, her number is 717-725-2675.

            We have a lot of meaningful and fun activities and events lined up for you.  See the attached schedule of events to get a feel for what we will be doing.  We are looking forward to worshipping together at Black Rock on Sunday at 10am in the Maranatha Center.  Please note that there will be no Sunday School at 9am on Sunday, the 25^th.

            Please don’t hesitate to reach out to Alice if you have any questions, and maybe spend some time in prayer as you prepare yourself to come to know Christ better through prayer, Scripture, and action.

Your servant in Christ,

Pastor Bob

PSA • Black Rock Retreat • Schedule

Friday, February 23

4 – 6pm           Arrive and check in at Maranatha Retreat Center

6pm                 Dinner

7pm                Worship and Getting to know one another                Michael Wilson

8pm                 Sister Act

 Saturday, February 24

7am                 Get up and Go! (Walking, running, yoga)

8am                 Breakfast

9am                 Worship and Getting to know one another               

10am               Prayer                                                                         Bob Bronkema

11:15am          Getting to know one another

12pm               Lunch

1pm                 Scripture                                                                     Jen Eisenberg

2:30pm            Action                                                                         David Bronkema

4pm                 Laser Tag and Free Time

5pm                 Dinner

6pm                 Fire Pit and worship with s’mores

9pm                 Glow in the dark dodge ball

10pm               Open gym

 Sunday, February 25 (*room check out by 10am)

7am                 Get up and Go! (Walking, running, yoga)

8am                 Breakfast

10am               Worship                                                                                 

 *All events will take place in the Maranatha Retreat Center

*Even if you are coming for just the day please register so that we can get you a meal ticket.

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e-news for February 2, 2024

Dear FPC family and friends,

            As the weeks roll on we get closer to our time together at Black Rock Retreat Center on February 23-25.  We finalized the itinerary and I am so pleased to be able to spend this time together away and to be able to worship together offsite at the center.  I hope you take the time to join us as we gather to focus on praying together, reading Scripture together, understanding what acting according to the will of God looks like together, worshiping together, playing together, eating together.  I have to say that this is the first time in my 30 years of ministry that I have taken the church off campus for an all-church retreat.  Pray that the Holy Spirit would descend powerfully on us in a way that would leave us transformed.

            There are certain things in our lives that can produce anxiety.  Each of us has different trigger points which create a sense of loss of control which then can lead to anxiety.  I have to be honest, this retreat has produced some anxiety in me.  It is not because of the amazing group of people that we have who are helping pull this off.  On the Steering Committee for PSA is: Marcia Andersen, Alice Eisenhooth, David Bronkema (ex-officio), Michael Wilson, Tricia Wilson, Alicia Eltman, Kristin Kondratowski and me.  Besides the last name on the list, that is a strong committee and one that could only instill confidence in the product. 

            But we have never done this before and I don’t know how it is going to turn out, and so that produced some anxiety in me.  What a lesson this has been for me to trust not only that God is at work with these amazing people, but also to see how a church ought to work.  When people gather together and each is a part of the body (I Corinthians 12:12-31), then that working together produces what we call the church.  The church reflects God’s perfect love only when it works in harmony.  However this retreat goes, the process has been wonderful to behold and to see people at work together to make it happen.  Come and join us and be a part of the movement of the Holy Spirit.

            I also wanted to take a few lines to remember a person with whom I have spent the most time in this church.  For ten years of my time here Karen Cooper was the church administrative assistant.  For five days a week we were together for 8 hours a day, often for even longer than that.  She was not only the institutional knowledge that I so desperately needed when I got here (she ended serving for close to 35 years as administrative assistant), but also someone with whom I could run ideas by and get her opinion on things.  I knew that she knew the church and the people of the church.  The thing was, I knew that she not only knew the church, she loved each and every one of you.  That came out in our time together.  I will miss Karen.

            There are many within the church who will miss her, most of all her parents Clayton and Joyce Frackman.  We pray for her husband Dan and their two boys.  We lift up her sister Denise and her husband and the gaggle of nieces and nephews which make up her family.  Her time and her impact on this church remains a fixture not just because of her longevity, but her continued activity with the Stitching Sisters who will miss her greatly as well.

            This church is composed of great men and women who love Jesus and serve him over a long period of time.  Think of your time in the church and who has come and gone just while you have been a member here.  For some of you that has stretched over many, many decades.  For others of you, you are just working on your first few years.  Time will pass by quickly, don’t forget to invest in people along the way.  The retreat is one way to do that.

Your servant in Christ,

Pastor Bob

HAPPENING IN THE LIFE OF THE CHURCH…

CHURCH WIDE RETREAT Ÿ PSA Ÿ February 23-25 at Black Rock Retreat Spend the weekend as a congregation as we pray, read scripture, act and have fellowship! Registration and payment is due by FEBRUARY 4^th. Please reference the information and registration form included in this bulletin for details. You may also register with the following link: PSA Retreat Registration.

WINGS & THINGS Ÿ Gather with the men of FPCS at Bespoke Brewing for wings, or another dish of your liking every first Sunday of the month at 5pm. Our next gathering will be THIS SUNDAY @ 5pm.

WOMEN’S BIBLE STUDY Ÿ Join us on Tuesday’s for Bible Study at 9:00am or 7:00pm in Room 3/4. All are welcome! The morning class will be using a new 7 session study called “Jesus & Women” by Kristi McLelland. The evening class will be using a new 8 week study called the “Sermon on the Mount” by Jen Wilken. For any questions please contact Lorraine Oliver, Stacy Bronkema, Linda Bredin, or Sandy Wenger.

WEDNESDAY MORNING WALK/RUN GROUP Ÿ Wednesday mornings (weather permitting) we will meet at the Church parking lot at 5:25am and take off at 5:30am sharp. We will embark on 3, one mile loops through town, each loop ending at the church before starting the next. All are welcome! You can walk, run, or both. You can do 1, 2, or all 3 miles and then some! Questions, or to be added to the text message update group please contact Dillon Sickler at 484-467-1587.

SOUPER BOWL SUNDAY • Sunday, February 11 – Our church will be participating in The Souper Bowl of Caring campaign. to help fight hunger and poverty in our communities. We hope that you will take part in this along with our children’s ministry, who will be collecting canned goods and/or monetary donations at both doors to the sanctuary before and after both services on February 11^th. All donations will go to our own food bank. Let’s see if we can get everyone who is going to watch the Big Game to make a donation.

*Please consider donating some of our most requested items: 

-Canned meats (tuna, chicken, spam)               -Hamburger Helpers or Tuna Helpers        

-Canned tomato sauce                                         -Canned Fruit (peaches, pineapple, oranges, mixed

*We currently have a surplus of green beans and corn so other vegetables are always welcomed. (canned peas, potatoes, carrots or mixed vegetables)

LENTEN SERVICES & LUNCHEONS
Lent is almost upon us!  Join us for weekly services here at First Presbyterian Church offered by the Strasburg Ministerium. 

Ash Wednesday, February 14, 2024
6am with ashes                  12pm – Strasburg Mennonite Church                6pm with ashes
12 pm Wednesday Lenten Service Schedule with lunch
February 21            Wesley United Methodist Church           March 6              Acts Covenant Fellowship
February 28            High View Church of God,                         March 13            St. Michael’s Lutheran                                                                                                            March 20            Waypoint
*All services will be held in the sanctuary here at First Presbyterian Church. The noon services will be followed by a luncheon. Join us

PSA • Black Rock Retreat • Itinerary

Friday, February 23

4 – 6pm           Arrive and check in at Maranatha Retreat Center

6pm                 Dinner

7pm                Worship and Getting to know one another                Michael Wilson

8pm                 Sister Act

Saturday, February 24

7am                 Get up and Go! (Walking, running, yoga)

8am                 Breakfast

9am                 Worship and Getting to know one another                Michael Wilson

10am               Prayer                                                                         Carole Turano

11:15am          Getting to know one another

12pm               Lunch

1pm                 Scripture                                                                     TBD

2:30pm            Action                                                                         David Bronkema

4pm                 Laser Tag and Free Time

5pm                 Dinner

6pm                 Fire Pit and worship with s’mores

9pm                 Glow in the dark dodge ball

10pm               Open gym

Sunday, February 25 (*room check out by 10am)

7am                 Get up and Go! (Walking, running, yoga)

8am                 Breakfast

9am                 Sunday School                                                            TBD

10am               Worship                                                                                 

*All events will take place in the Maranatha Retreat Center except for Sunday worship will take place in the Dogwood meeting room.

*Even if you are coming for just the day please register so that we can get you a meal ticket.

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e-news for January 24, 2024

Dear FPC family and friends,

            Last week had a very Russianesque feel to it.  The frigid temperatures, the snow on the ground, it all took me back to our five years in a city where snow was on the ground from October through April.  You just learned to live with it.  Our snow will probably be gone by the end of this week, but last week was something that I feel we haven’t experienced in quite some time.  There is a part of me that misses the snow on the ground for days and the cold that reminds us that we are in winter.  I have often highlighted the seasons of our individual lives and the seasons of the church as opportunities to see the grace and presence of God, but we are talking about weather here.

            There are many weather events in Scripture which cause the people of God to act or react in certain ways.  When Jesus stills the storm on the water it is done in such a way that it was reflected as a testimony to who Jesus was.  Jesus was the one who was able to control the weather, the storms, the perilousness of our environment.  Before we go straight to a metaphor to how Jesus can control the storms in our life, we should rest a bit in that reality that Jesus is the one who can control nature itself, including, but not limited to, the weather.

            We see in the Old Testament the prophet Elijah who flees from the king and queen of Israel for he just defeated their prophets of Baal.  He flees to a cave and there God puts before him a whole array of weather related events.  From the violence and power of a wind (hurricane, tornado?) that was able to split the rocks of mountains, to the presence of an earthquake that shook the foundations of the ground, to a fire that probably came from a fantastic display of lightning.  All of this God was able to bring to the presence of Elijah to teach him a lesson.  We often focus on the lesson that God brought to Elijah but miss the power and the presence and the ability of God to control the weather.

            When our faith goes straight to the metaphorical we miss the literalness of the presence of God in our lives.  We could easily spiritualize our lives so that there is a clear demarcation between our lives of faith, which find themselves equipped with metaphors from Scripture, and our lives of daily routine and earthy realities that may find themselves ill suited to be matched with our life of faith.  But our lives need to be consistently imbued with that which comes from God.  When we see a beautiful day it is the presence of God which allows it to happen.  The same goes for these next few rainy days that we have coming up.  God is in the midst of all of it, not just where we are able to understand a deeper meaning behind it all.  Even in the most superficial of it all, a rainy day, God is present with us in the midst of that day and in the midst of that weather as well.

            Faith is not meant just for the champions of faith.  It is meant for all of us.  We don’t have to understand the hidden meanings of Scripture to understand the ever-present reality of God in our midst.  We don’t need a Master’s degree to see God right in front of us, but we do need to believe that God reveals Himself to us on a daily basis, to all of us.  I guess my encouragement is to seek out the presence of God in a way that may no be surprising, but pretty routine, and know that God is wanting to be in your routine, whatever it may be.

Your servant in Christ,

Pastor Bob

HAPPENING IN THE LIFE OF FPC…

            Bible Study every Thursday!:  Join us tomorrow evening for Bible Study at 6pm here: Youtube

            Wednesday Morning Walk/Run group:  Wednesday mornings (weather permitting) meeting at the Church parking lot at 5:25am and taking off at 5:30am sharp. We will embark on 3, one mile loops through town each loop ending at the church before starting the next. All are welcome you can walk, run, or both. You can do 1, 2, or all 3 miles and then some. Questions or to be added to the text message update group please contact Dillon Sickler at 484-467-1587. 

            Church wide Retreat  PSA  February 23-25 at Black Rock Retreat Spend the weekend as a congregation as we pray, read scripture, act and have fellowship! Registration and payment is due by February 4^th. Please reference the information and registration form included in this bulletin for details. You may also register with the following link: PSA Retreat Registration.

            Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture:  Join us for a journey to the museum in DC on February 15^th. We will be leaving from FPC on a charter bus at 7am and returning from DC leaving there at 3pm. There is no cost for the trip since it is sponsored by the Racial Justice Task Group of the Donegal Presbytery.  If you are interested in going contact Pastor Bob.

            WINGS & THINGS  Gather with the men of FPCS at “The Tavern” Springhouse for wings, or another dish of your liking every first Sunday of the month at 5pm. Our next gathering will be February 4^th @ 5pm.

WOMEN’S BIBLE STUDY Please mark your calendars that we will be starting new Bible Studies on Tuesday, January 23rd. Classes will be held at 9:00am and 7:00pm in Room 3/4. All are welcome! The morning class will be using a new 7 session study called “Jesus & Women” by Kristi McLelland. The evening class will be using a new 8 week study call the “Sermon on the Mount” by Jen Wilken. For any questions please contact Lorraine Oliver, Stacy Bronkema, Linda Bredin, or Sandy Wenger.

            Lent is coming!  Join us as we begin Lent on Ash Wednesday, February 14 here at First Presbyterian Church.  We will have a traditional Ash Wednesday service with ashes at 6am and 6pm.  See below for the schedule of ministerium lunches and services which also begins on Ash Wednesday.

            Lenten Lunches:  Every Wednesday at noon, beginning on February 14, each church in the ministerium will be providing worship and lunch here in our sanctuary at First Presbyterian Church.  Join us on Wednesdays as we celebrate Lent together.

            Clothing drop-off:  We now have a clothing drop off here at the church.  If you have clothes which you would like to donate please place them in the basket close to the water fountain in the hallway.  

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e-news for January 13, 2024

Dear FPC family and friends,

            As I was preparing for my sermon this week it struck me how relevant the Scripture is for us as a family in this season.  While the title of the sermon is “Hanging out with Sinners”, I really address how do we relate and interact with sinners who are in our midst.  There isn’t an easy answer to this question.  Some may think that the easy answer is “do not judge”.  We should just over look sin and move on because, after all, we are all sinners.  But this answer seems to squeeze out the real impact that sin has on people. 

            I found myself wondering what did the families of the Christians martyrs think when Paul came to know Jesus and was welcomed into the church as not only a member but a leader.  This did not bring back their dead loved ones.  “Do not judge” would not have been on their minds.  We don’t see the details of these types of dynamics in the early church, but we know that they must have existed. 

            How did the husband and the children of the woman caught in adultery feel when Jesus saves her and lets her go?  There was much to question and wonder if all of this was the best thing.  For them the statement do not judge may not have been sufficient because her husband was now the laughing stock of the town and her kids could no longer play with their friends.  Real sin has real repercussions. 

            When we live in a community that is called a church and sin manifests itself publicly our first instinct could be anger.  This is especially true if we have been victims of sin committed against us.  The statement do not judge simply doesn’t cut it because our lives have been impacted and changed forever, tragically, because of the sin against us.  We have little room for sympathy for sinners who seem to be treated as heroes in our midst.

            But even in this, and especially in this, Scripture speaks to us.  When Jesus is over at Matthew’s house, a tax collector who was on the bottom of the dregs of society because of his sin, Jesus tells those who would hear that our operating mode of being has to be mercy.  Mercy does not wink at sin, but it does love the individual.  Mercy allows us to be angry at sin and protect our children from sinners, but also demands us to love people as Jesus loves us.  I encourage you to read Matthew 9:9-13 with new eyes especially as it may relate to our church family.

            I’m looking forward to worshipping with you tomorrow.

Your servant in Christ,

Pastor Bob

HAPPENING IN THE LIFE OF THE CHURCH…

CHURCH WIDE RETREAT  PSA  February 23-25 at Black Rock Retreat Spend the weekend as a congregation as we pray, read scripture, act and have fellowship! Registration and payment is due by February 4^th. Please reference the information and registration form included in this bulletin for details. You may also register with the following link: PSA Retreat Registration

SMITHSONIAN NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY AND CULTURE:  Join us for a journey to the museum in DC on February 15^th. We will be leaving from FPC on a charter bus at 7am and returning from DC leaving there at 3pm. There is no cost for the trip since it is sponsored by the Racial Justice Task Group of the Donegal Presbytery.  If you are interested in going contact Pastor Bob.

ANNUAL CONGREGATIONAL MEETING Ÿ Sunday, January 21^st the church will have our annual meeting to elect two Members-At-Large to serve on the 2024 Church Officer Nominating Committee and review and receive the FPCS 2023 Annual Report, as well as elect an additional Deacon as an officer.

WOMEN’S BIBLE STUDY Ÿ Please mark your calendars that we will be starting new Bible Studies on Tuesday, January 23rd. Classes will be held at 9:00am and 7:00pm in Room 3/4. All are welcome! The morning class will be using a new 7 session study called “Jesus & Women” by Kristi McLelland. The evening class will be using a new 8 week study call the “Sermon on the Mount” by Jen Wilken. For any questions please contact Lorraine Oliver, Stacy Bronkema, Linda Bredin, or Sandy Wenger.

GREAT BEGINNINGS PRESCHOOL REGISTRATION for the 2024-2025 school year began on January 2, 2024 for First Presbyterian church members and current preschool families.  Contact Heather Reynolds, Administrative Director at hreynolds@straspres.org or 717-617-9501, or pick up an application at the church office or the preschool mailbox.

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e-news for January 5, 2024

Dear FPC family and friends,

            As we look back at the past year someone could very easily call 2023 as the year of rebuilding.  While the foundation is still in place, Jesus as our Lord and Savior, some of the pieces have moved and some of the work looks different from what it did in years past.  We have introduced this past year the emphasis on Prayer, Scripture and Action and it has seemed to dominate a lot of what we have done.  We have spent time focusing on our prayer life and on our reading of Scripture and on our righteousness, which is defined as acting according to the will of God.

            But I am someone who likes to look at things more concretely.  How are we doing compared to the previous years?  When I ask that question normally the answer comes back to me in the form of numbers.  The numbers on attendance or giving or in our programs normally is the tool that we use to measure how we are doing.  With our emphasis on PSA there really isn’t a number schematic that we can look at and respond: This is how we are doing.

            But let’s look at the numbers and see how they add up to previous years.  Once Covid hit in 2020 I had mentioned to Session back then that it would probably take us until the end of 2024 to fully recover in regards to our attendance and our giving.  That seems to be playing itself out, but maybe I was a bit optimistic  We were up in attendance about 15% from last year, but we are still well below our levels from 2019.  This year we averaged 175 in combined services and in 2019 we averaged 221 combined.  That means we are still 26% below in attendance than where we were in 2019, but again up about half that in respect from last year.  I think it will be difficult to make up that difference this year completely.

            Our giving in respect to last year tells a different story.  While we don’t have the final figures just yet, it does seem like our offerings are down from where they were last year.  Now, this doesn’t reflect the income we received from ERC nor does it reflect the inheritances that we received over this past year either.  Overall our bottom line is in much better shape than it has ever been, I mean ever.  We have been able to remodel a significant part of our campus and also make other capital improvements all as a result of your generosity outside of your regular giving.  But the downward trend in regular giving is somewhat concerning.  If you have adjusted your giving to below 10% this would be a good time to remedy that going forward. 

            Programmatically our attendance at youth group, Sunday School, Bible Studies, and other activities has been increasing and has some very promising signs.  But how do we measure how our faith is growing?  How do we measure the extent to which we have grown in our faith over this past year?  While we do have a tool with PSA that will be used to measure how we have done compared to last year in Prayer and Scripture and Action, this is a question that is not as easily answered as these concrete numbers that we see before us.

            So how did 2023 go?  I would say that it went as scheduled.  We are recovering from nearly two years of doing things so very differently.  Those two years left your leaders somewhat sore from having to do things that we simply weren’t used to doing.   You know when you do something that you aren’t used to doing and your muscles get sore?  Something like that, but in this case leadership can feel somewhat bruised after an extended period of time of trying to make decisions for things that no one has ever faced before.  Please keep your elders in your prayers as we look forward to the year ahead of us.

            My prayer for all of us in 2024 is that we would be able to work our spiritual muscles in such a way that the soreness will fade and will be replaced with a strength that is unmatched in our commitment to God and to our neighbor.

Your servant in Christ,

Pastor Bob

HAPPENING IN THE LIFE OF FPC…

            Undecorating Day:  This evening at 6pm, in just a few hours, we will all gather to undecorate the church.  You are all welcome to come and help us tear down after Christmas and Advent.  Pizza will be provided if you are so inclined.

            No Bible Study next week:  We will pick up our Bible Studies on Thursday, January 18 at 6pm.  You can join us here: Youtube

            CHURCH WIDE RETREAT  PSA  February 23-25 at Black Rock Retreat Spend the weekend as a congregation as we pray, read scripture, act and have fellowship! Registration and payment is due by February 4^th. Please reference the information and registration form included in this bulletin for details. You may also register with the following link: PSA Retreat Registration.

                 BEING IN THE PRESENCE  Join us on Saturday, January 13^th @ 10am, as we gather to pray together as a congregation in Room 3/4. Carole Turano will lead us in a time of guided prayer as we continue our pursuit of Christ as faithful disciples.

                 SMITHSONIAN NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY AND CULTURE:  Join us for a journey to the museum in DC on February 15^th. We will be leaving from FPC on a charter bus at 7am and returning from DC leaving there at 3pm. There is no cost for the trip since it is sponsored by the Racial Justice Task Group of the Donegal Presbytery.  If you are interested in going contact Pastor Bob.       

                 POINSETTIAS Ÿ Feel free to pick up your poinsettias andtake them home or give them to someone who may enjoy them!  We will have to throw them away if people don’t take them, so take them!

                 WINGS & THINGS Ÿ Gather with the men of FPCS at “The Tavern” Springhouse for wings, or another dish of your liking every first Sunday of the month at 5pm. Our next gathering will be Sunday @ 6pm.

                 ANNUAL CONGREGATIONAL MEETING Sunday, January 21^st the church will have our annual meeting to elect two Members-At-Large to serve on the 2024 Church Officer Nominating Committee and review and receive the FPCS 2023 Annual Report and elect another deacon to the board of deacons.

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e-news for December 29, 2023

Dear FPC family and friends,

            We are on the cusp of a new year.  Each one of us looks at the new year and has different emotions than our neighbor may have.  For some of us you can’t wait for 2023 to be over.  It may have seemed like one tragedy has struck after another and surely God would never allow another year like the last to come.  For some of us it has been a great year.  We have experienced a new birth in our family, we are at a new job which we love, we have graduated and are moving out of the house.  For some of us it was just kind of a year like any other year: nothing special and nothing really earth shattering.

            Scripture gives us a promise that we will be able to experience something new when we are in constant fellowship with Jesus.  This is such an important promise that we would forget it at our own emotional peril.  I would love to share with you those Scriptures that promise something new.  Regardless of where you find yourself emotionally this past year, the newness that Christ promises will be far better than what we have experienced thus far in any year of our lives.  I hope you enjoy these verses and I do hope that you have a Happy New Year.

Isaiah 43:18-19 – “Do not remember the former things, or consider the things of old.  I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?”

II Corinthians 5:17 – “So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see everything has become new!”

Psalm 40:3 – “He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God.  Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the Lord.”

Isaiah 62:2-3 – “You shall be called a new name that the mouth of the Lord will give.  You shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God.”

Isaiah 65:17 – “For I am about to create a new heavens and a new earth; the former things shall not be remembered or come to mind.  But be glad and rejoice forever in what I am creating.”

Ephesians 4:22-24 – “You were taught to put away your former way of life, your old self, corrupt and deluded by its lusts, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to clothe yourselves with the new self, created according to the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.”

Psalm 98:1 – “O sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things.”

Matthew 26:27-28 – “Drink from it, all of you, for this is my blood of the new covenant, which is poured out for the forgiveness of sins.”

Revelation 21:1 – “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away and the sea was no more.”

Lamentations 3:22-23 – “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”

Your servant in Christ,

Pastor Bob

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e-news for December 15, 2023

Dear FPC family and friends,

            I can think of no other season of the year that carries so many conflicting feelings.  Christmas is generally a joyous time of year where we hear the peal of children laughing, we see the smiles of satisfaction, we experience the joy of the beauty of the lights and the greenery. The general consensus is that this is the most wonderful time of the year.  I love this time of year and it carries with it a sense of anticipation, for me personally, to be together with my girls.  Especially now that they are scattered to the 12 continents, it is something for which I look forward.  (I know there are only 7, but it feels like 12 sometimes)

            But Christmas is especially difficult for those who are experiencing loss and won’t be able to be with a loved one because they have been resurrected with Jesus.  For some this is the first year in their life that they are not with the loved one who was, in many ways, the center of their life.  When the rest of the world is celebrating, how does one fit in and go along when the grief is too hard to bear?  Jesus speaks about why his disciples didn’t fast and didn’t follow many of the laws that other religious folks did and Jesus says simply in Mark 2:19: “As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast.” 

            This juxtaposition between celebrating and mourning is carried out within the life of the church throughout the year, both in individuals and collectively.  While we celebrate Advent and get geared up for this most wonderful time of the year, we have more people in the hospital and recovering from surgery than I can remember ever having.  We have brothers and sisters who are trying to decide between hospice and home care.  We have families who have recently placed loved ones in assisted living because it is not possible for them to care for them on their own.  We have families who are struggling to understand the changes in their youth and wondering what comes next.  We have a whole litany of struggles and difficulties that we are facing in this most wonderful time of the year.

            Church is not a place to avoid these struggles.  Church is a place where God allows us to face them and then be equipped to handle them in a way that is healthy and God blessed.  Ultimately, our fellowship provides us with a chance to understand how to live life that is complete in God while not avoiding or ignoring the real pain and the real joy that surrounds us.  A relationship with Jesus doesn’t take away our minds or our problems, but it does take away our sins which allows us to live for Him in a way that is complete.  Without Jesus life is incomplete and pains and sufferings are deeper and extract a far larger toll.

            I would never want to dampen the Christmas Spirit which is strong and powerful in this church and is a vital part of what we do together.  But I would also want to not move forward like a train that has no ability to stop and contemplate and realize that not everyone is grateful for the lights and the trees and the laughter.  That should not prevent us from laughing, but it should sow some empathy within us so that, if nothing else, we notice those who just aren’t able this time of the year. 

            May the joy of this Christmas be far more to you than the trappings that surround you.

Your servant in Christ,

Pastor Bob

HAPPENING IN THE LIFE OF FPC…

NEXT WEEK ~ CHRISTMAS EVE ~ DECEMBER 24, 2023

FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT

Traditional and Contemporary Services Ÿ 8:30am & 11am

Children’s Christmas Pageant Ÿ 4:30pm

Candlelight Worship Services Ÿ 8pm & 11pm

               Church wide Retreat Ÿ PSA Ÿ February 23-25 at Black Rock Retreat Spend the weekend as a congregation as we pray, read scripture, act and have fellowship! Registration and payment is due by February 4^th. Please reference the information and registration form included in this bulletin for details. You may also register with the following link:                 PSA Retreat Registration.

ADVENT CONCERT: CHRIS KEENEY, GUITARIST Ÿ Join us on Sunday, December 17 at 7pm for an evening of music and fellowship as we celebrate together this Advent Season.

SMITHSONIAN NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY AND CULTURE:  Join us for a journey to the museum in DC on February 15^th. We will be leaving from FPC on a charter bus at 7am and returning from DC leaving there at 3pm. There is no cost for the trip since it is sponsored by the Racial Justice Task Group of the Donegal Presbytery.  If you are interested in going contact Pastor Bob.

            Santa’s Helpers:  Thank you to all who participated in the program.  The tags really flew off the tree.  Please be sure that your unwrapped gift is placed under the tree in the church by this Sunday, December 17. 

            UNDECORATING THE CHURCH Ÿ Friday, January 5^th, we will be un-decorating the church together to bring down the Advent and Christmas decorations.  Come join in the fun at 6pm and grab some pizza while you’re here!

WINGS & THINGS Ÿ Gather with the men of FPCS at “The Tavern” Springhouse for wings, or another dish of your liking every first Sunday of the month at 5pm. Our next gathering will be Sunday, January 7^th @ 5pm.

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e-news for December 6, 2023

Dear FPC family and friends,

            This past Sunday we took part in a process that in many ways provides the definition of who we are as Presbyterians.  First and foremost, we are lovers of Jesus Christ and all that we do is for the sake of following him more closely and bringing people to a saving knowledge of him.  That is our purpose.  But we do it in a unique way.  We bring order and structure and purpose in how we obey God and how we encourage people to begin a relationship with him.  That order and structure manifests itself in what we call “church officers”.  This past Sunday we had a congregational meeting where we elected church officers to serve you, the people of the church, to ensure that this church remains a place where people can know, grow and go in their relationship with the Savior.

            Within our church we have three bodies of officers.  There are no higher or lower offices, but rather distinct callings for each office.  We have a leadership team that is called the Session and it is composed of 12 elders.  We are so pleased to welcome into leadership starting in February the following elders: Maggie Nadu, Steve Hess, Carolyn Groff, Linda Lawrence and for a one year term Linda Younger.  The term elder in Greek is presbuteros which is where we get our name as a denomination.  Look at Titus 1:5 and you’ll see the term used there.  The elders, who compose the session, make every decision on behalf of the congregation except for the election of officers and the pastor, and the buying and selling of property.  They are the clear overseers of all things that happen in the life of the church. 

            The session, composed of our 12 elders, oversees the pastoral care of the congregation and have entrusted the deacons, another board of officers, to that task.  The deacons are under the direction of the session and carry out their work in the care for the sick, the shut in, those in need, and many other pastoral responsibilities that are a part of the life of a Presbyterian Church.  You can see the origin of the role of deacon in Acts 6:1-6 where they were entrusted in making sure that the widows of the church were given all the attention, and food, that they needed.  The Greek origin of the term for deacon is servant.  Remember when Jesus told his disciples that in order to carry out his purposes they needed to be servants to all?  Coming on to be deacons are: Margie Beers, Deb Welk, Barb Groff, Pam Johnson, Linda and Ed Bredin, and Tessa Kondratowski as a junior deacon.

            The session also oversees the care and the running of our physical plant.  The last set of officers are the Trustees whom the Session has asked to be responsible over the grounds of the church in order to ensure that they are fit to carry out the mission and the ministry of the church.  The buildings and the physical plant are not there for its own sake, they are there so that the ministry of the church, which is dictated by session, can be carried out.  This is a crucial distinction.  It is very tempting for congregations to see the church building and all of its facilities as something that needs to be kept and protected for its own sake.  As ministries create wear and tear it is tempting to want to curtail activities or ministries that might have the most impact on the health of the physical plant.

            Historically it has been seen that there is a natural rub between ministry and maintenance, but we should always err on the side of ensuring that our ministries have all that they need, which may seem at times to be at the expense of the physical plant.  Coming on as Trustees are: Steve and Donna Szczesniak, Dillon Sickler and Jerry Paparo.

            Church officers are vital to the life of the church.  They provide order, vitality, creativity, growth, enthusiasm, and structure.  When you see the incoming officers make sure you thank them.

Your servant in Christ,

Pastor Bob

HAPPENING IN THE LIFE OF FPC…

            Bible Study Thursday evening:  Every Thursday evening we have Bible Study at 6pm.  Feel free to join us here: Youtube

            Church wide retreat:  Start making plans now to join us on the church-wide retreat on February 23-25.  You can register here: Register for retreat

            Being in the Presence:  Join us on Saturday, December 9 at as we gather to pray together as a congregation in Fellowship Hall. Carole Turano will lead us in a time of guided prayer as we continue our pursuit of Christ as faithful disciples.

Advent Family Night:  This Wednesday evening, tonight, at 6pm come and join us for an Advent night where children and adults can be together to celebrate this season as we prepare for the coming of the newborn king Jesus.

            Advent Concert:  We are so pleased to have Kris Keeney, a very accomplished guitarist, celebrate Advent with us in concert.  Join us on Sunday, December 17^th at 7pm for an evening of music and fellowship as we celebrate together this Advent Season.

            Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture:  Join us for a journey to the museum in DC on February 15^th. We will be leaving from FPC on a charter bus at 7am and returning from DC leaving there at 3pm. There is no cost for the trip since it is sponsored by the Racial Justice Task Group of the Donegal Presbytery.  If you are interested in going contact Pastor Bob.

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e-news for December 1, 2023

Dear FPC family and friends,

            Well, it happened again on Wednesday evening.  We had our yearly decorating the church event, but it was very different this year.  Since we have a brand new space we decided to decorate the church in some brand new ways.  You’ll see it when you come on Sunday.  This year heading up the decorating crew were Whitney Sickler and Maggie Nadu.  It was great to have over a couple of dozen folks show up, eat pizza, climb ladders without falling this year, laugh and enjoy each other’s company as if we were continuing on with our Thanksgiving family gatherings.  It was simply a great time.  Thank you for everyone showing up in force. 

            Scripture is filled with examples of celebrations and times in which we are called to go to the house of the Lord.  Look at Psalm 150. The entire Psalm is about celebrating.  Look at Psalm 122 which tells us that the author was glad when people said to him: “Let us go to the house of the Lord.”  There is a certain gladness which fills the heart when you are able to take care of the church building in a way that makes it look pretty and ready for people to come and worship.  It is not a superficial thing, it is something that makes us realize how much the people and the location matter to us. 

            We know, of course, that God does not inhabit the church.  We know that God is never localized in a single place, ever.  But after recently celebrating 191 years, dedicating a new space, and taking a new direction in decorating, it strikes me that God has been very good to our church, both building and people.  This does not take away from the fact that even in the midst of the celebration and the expectation that we call Advent, that there is a real world out there that is tragic, sinful, and heartbreaking.  No decoration can take away the reality of the world in which we live.  But celebrating and grieving together allows us to journey together on this path that we call discipleship.

            There is something different about coming to church and being with other people that really defines and shapes our faith.  The positive of virtual worship is that when you are sick or traveling you can tune in to worship at your home church.  There are many more negatives than positives with virtual worship.  If you are traveling why not visit a local Presbyterian Church and bring greetings from FPC Strasburg?  It is also time to come back and worship with the church family so that your faith can be strengthened on this journey.  Especially now as we are emphasizing Prayer, Scripture and Action, it is important to live that out in person.  It isn’t about the building, it is about being with people in fellowship and faith strengthening.

            On Saturday the 9^th at 10am we will gather again for our time of Being in the Presence as we pray together as a congregation.  We have the church-wide retreat coming up on February 23-25.  Can I say again that we would love to have the whole congregation present for the retreat?  Talk about a celebration where we do church in a way that leaves a lasting impact.  That would be the place and the time to experience that.

Your servant in Christ,

Pastor Bob

HAPPENING IN THE LIFE OF FPC…

            Being in the Presence on December 9 at 10am:  Join us on Saturday, December 9 at 10am as we pray together as a congregation.  It is a time of renewal and asking for the presence of God in our lives individually and as a church body.

            Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture:  Join us for a journey to the museum in DC on February 15^th. We will be leaving from FPC on a charter bus at 7am and returning from DC leaving there at 3pm. There is no cost for the trip since it is sponsored by the Racial Justice Task Group of the Donegal Presbytery.  If you are interested in going contact Pastor Bob.

            Santa’s Helpers:  This year we continue the tradition of buying presents for families in need within the LS school district.  You will be able to take a tag this Sunday and the 10^th to buy a present for a family in need.

            Congregational Meeting:  This Sunday we will have a congregational meeting after the 11am service.  We will be electing officers, voting on the salary of your pastor, and receiving the budget approved by session. 

            Advent concert: Chris Keeney, guitarist:   Join us on Sunday, December 17^th at 7pm for an evening of music and fellowship as we celebrate together this Advent Season.

            Family Advent Night – Join us during Clubhouse time! ALL of you, young and not so young, are invited to come out and join the fun on December 6^th from 6 – 7:30pm! Christmas stories, songs, and crafts along with cookies and hot chocolate will be on hand for you to enjoy. Hope to see you there!

            Church wide Retreat – PSA – February 23-25 at Black Rock Retreat Spend the weekend as a congregation as we pray, read scripture, act and have fellowship! Please reference the information and registration form included in this bulletin for details. Registration and payment is due by January 7^th.

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e-news for November 17, 2023

Dear FPC family and friends,

            I wish you could have all heard the words of praise that those gathered for the Presbytery meeting gave to little old FPC Strasburg.  On Tuesday 48 churches from Lancaster, Chester, and York counties gathered into our church to worship, to hear a presentation from the Donegal Racial Task Group, and to do business.  In the business docket we welcomed Walter Kondratowski as an inquirer in our Presbytery and thanked Fran Carr for spearheading the Presbytery Liaison program.  It was a very full day, but it was one where the planning, the dedication, the love, and the closeness of our family was on full display.  I wanted this enews to be a big Thank You to all of you as you really did everything possible to put our best foot forward to welcome the Presbytery and to ensure that the meeting went off without a hitch.

            As I think about the people who were involved: media, kitchen, parking, logistics, cleaning, cooking, eating (wait, that doesn’t count), sound, worship, etc. etc.  I come up with about 50 of us that were involved in one way or another.  Preschool was also involved as we revised the pick up and drop off.  It was a whirlwind of activity, and I loved it.  The Presbytery loved it, and after it was over, I hope you loved it as well.

            The frenetic activity of the life of the church often produces a joy that cannot be matched elsewhere.  But this is only true if we realize that the reason why we are doing all of this is not so that First Presbyterian might be seen and known, but rather so that Jesus Christ might be seen and known through us.  I think this is one of the reasons why I so enjoy being your pastor.  It is obvious that you love Jesus and you want to do things not for any other ulterior motive other than your love for Christ.  Jesus is what drives us to do what we do. 

            I think of the scene in Scripture where the woman pours perfume on Jesus’ feet and the disciples grumble because that money could have been used for other reasons.  Jesus reminds them that the reason they are disciples is to worship him and to celebrate his presence in their midst.  We are like those pouring perfume on Jesus’ feet and we do it in a way that reflects Jesus as our only agenda.

            Let me also remind you that we have had a very, very busy week.  On Sunday we had our 191^st birthday.  This church has survived a lot.  It has survived a civil war, it has survived the Spanish flu and Covid, it has survived the cultural upheavals of the 60’s and 70’s.  The reason it has been able to survive, and now thrive, is because, that’s right, you guessed it, because our focus is on Jesus and on Jesus alone. 

            So much is happening in the world around us these days.  So much is happening within our own community these days that it is easy to get fixated and caught up in one or all of the issues and world events that are taking place.  When that becomes our focus, when that becomes our common goal then once that event or that issue disappears then our unity and our goal disappears.  If, instead, our one common goal and the source of our unity is Jesus Christ and becoming better followers of Jesus and not just good church members, then that is something that can last a lifetime.  As Gamaliel said about the Christian church: If this undertaking is of human origin, it will fail, but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them, in that case you may even be found fighting against God.

            Thank you for being a church that loves Jesus and works so that He would be proclaimed. 

Your servant in Christ,

Pastor Bob

HAPPENING IN THE LIFE OF THE CHURCH…

MINISTERIUM THANKSGIVING SERVICE at 4pm TODAY:  Join Christians from Strasburg at St. Michael’s Lutheran Church as we celebrate Thanksgiving together as a community and give thanks to God for God’s provision. This is sponsored by the seven churches of Strasburg in the Ministerium.

CHURCH WIDE RETREAT  PSA on February 23-25 at Black Rock Retreat Spend the weekend as a congregation as we pray, read scripture, act and have fellowship! Save the date and stay tuned for more details.

The Session has called for a CONGREGATIONAL MEETING at 12:15pm on Sunday, December 3^rd. The purpose of this meeting is to review and act on the proposed 2024 Pastoral Terms of Call, elect New Officers for the terms starting in 2024, and to review and receive the 2024 Ministry Budget.

CHURCH DECORATING DAY – Wednesday, November 29^th at 6pm, we will be decking the halls and preparing the church for Advent and Christmas.  Come join in the fun and help us to decorate!

SMITHSONIAN NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY AND CULTURE:  Join us for a journey to the museum in DC on February 15^th. We will be leaving from FPC on a charter bus at 7am and returning from DC leaving there at 3pm. There is no cost for the trip since it is sponsored by the Racial Justice Task Group of the Donegal Presbytery.  If you are interested in going contact Pastor Bob.

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e-news for November 2, 2023

Dear FPC family and friends,

            Well, the general has died.  I’m guessing that most of you do not know who that might be, but for those of us who played basketball their whole life, even at the collegiate level, he was someone most of us admired and respected.  Bobby Knight, the controversial figure in college basketball, passed away yesterday and he somehow has made it into my enews.  Basketball was always a part of our life growing up.  My dad played professionally in Europe, we all played in high school and most of us in college.  Each of us had a coach who was a lot like Bobby Knight, demanding, crass, even violent at times, but, and I can only speak for myself, I loved him and admired him and he was definitely a mentor to me.  When my coach passed away I grieved.  I never knew Bobby Knight, never met him, but that sense of grieving is real.

            The impact that mentors have on our lives is not something that can be measured.  This is not just true in sports where you spend years together in very highly intense and emotionally laden moments together. I assume it is true in the military with an officer whom you may not enjoy, but you respect and they mean something to you.  I assume it is true for some at work who might not have the best boss, but somehow they continue to view them as a mentor and there is a fondness in our hearts for them that never dissipates. 

            When we read about the relationship of Jesus and his disciples I see a bit of a Bobby Knightish approach.  Jesus does not hesitate to criticize his disciples, even, and at times especially, in front of other people. He calls them people of little faith.  He tells Peter that he is Satan.  Jesus is very demanding of his disciples, and yet we often don’t highlight that aspect of his demeanor.  We tend to focus on the love that he shows which is less demanding and much more mainstream.  We like to forget that he told them that they will have no place to lay their heads.

            I think we all, whether we like it or not, need someone in our lives who won’t back down from us and requires certain things from us that we would never require of ourselves.  We all are motivated in different ways, and yet we all need to see the potential in ourselves that we may not see unless someone unleashes that insight for us.  Sometimes, however, the line is crossed and abuse takes place, there is absolutely no justification for that.  A person loses any and all claims to mentorship or even leadership when abuse takes place. Abuse disqualifies a person from any platform in another person’s life that they may be trying to possess. 

            The church is a strange animal.  It is composed of volunteers who are working together for a common goal.  Here at First Presbyterian the common goal is that people will come to know Jesus and as a result will love God and love their neighbor.  Just as a person can volunteer to come alongside and be excited for this common goal, so they have every right to step out and unvolunteer.  You can’t treat church like a basketball team, or like a workplace, or like a military unit.  If you are too demanding people will simply check out and say no thank you.

            I feel strongly that we are called as disciples to not compromise, to be pushed to the limits in how we follow Jesus, but how that translates to this community and to the FPC church family as a whole is up to each one of us individually.

            Who is the Bobby Knight in your life for your faith?  Who has pushed you to ask the questions maybe you were afraid to ask, or who challenged you in a way that you were never challenged?  It is important to know Jesus in a way that transforms your life, and doesn’t just give you more information about God.  Know Jesus in a way that moves you powerfully.

Your servant in Christ

Pastor Bob

HAPPENING IN THE LIFE OF FPC…

NO IN THE PRESENCE THIS SATURDAY

Bible Study this evening at 6:  Join us this evening at 6pm for Bible Study here – Youtube.

Church Birthday Celebration:  On Sunday November 12 the church will celebrate its 191^st birthday.  There will be a brunch in Fellowship Hall between services and we will be dedication our newly renovated space. 

Wings and Things:  This Sunday evening at 5pm the men of the church gather at the Spring House for fellowship.  Come and join us!

Churchwide Retreat:  Mark your calendar for February 23-25 as we go on a retreat with all of us together.  We will be there from dinner on Friday to worship on Sunday. 

Presbytery Meeting on November 14:  If you wanted to see the inner workings of the Presbyterian Church join us for the meeting of the Donegal Presbytery on November 14 here at FPC from 9:30-3.

Trip to the Smithsonian African American History and Culture Museum:  Join us for a journey to the museum in DC on February 15.  We will be leaving on a charter bus at 7am and returning from DC leaving there at 3pm.  There is not cost for the trip since it is sponsored by the Racial Justice Task Group of the Donegal Presbytery.  If you are interested in going contact Pastor Bob.

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e-news for October 27, 2023

Dear FPC family and friends,

            I ran across an article from Christianity Today where they have come out with their results of what the post-Covid church looks like in the United States.  It was all very familiar since we lived through it.  If nothing else it emphasized the struggles and the triumphs that we faced as a congregation during that time.  Here is a link to the article: post-covid study I really encourage you to check it out, it might ring familiar to you.  We continue along on our journey of PSA: Prayer, Scripture, and Action, which has come about as a result of a Lilly grant that we received meant to rekindle congregations post-Covid. 

            I do want to highlight something that is coming up in February so that you can all put it on your calendars.  We have scheduled a congregation-wide retreat for February 23-25.  When I say congregation-wide, I mean congregation-wide.  We want every single one of you to come and participate in this retreat.  We would love for the entire church to be at Black Rock Retreat center from a Friday through a Sunday.  The retreat begins with dinner on Friday evening and ends with worship on Sunday morning there at Black Rock.  This is for everyone, singles, couples, families with little kids and families with big kids.  Please mark your calendar and plan on attending.

            The beauty of Black Rock is that if you have difficulty getting around everything is pretty much in one building and that building has elevators.  There isn’t a whole lot of walking around and there are great opportunities for study and growth.  We will be offering activities and events that are focused on Prayer, Scripture and Action as well as have plenty of opportunity for fellowship and fun.  We have not done this in the last 13 years, gone away as a congregation to strengthen and build up our bonds as a church family, so it is about time that we do it. 

There is something unique about being off campus and in a setting where you are able to experience God outside of your ordinary.  Mission trips provide a perspective you simply would not have if you were here in Lancaster County.  The change in venue provides a heightened sense of ministry and awareness of the presence of God that simply is not present in our normal, everyday lives.  But this doesn’t take away from the abundance of opportunity to do ministry right here in our neighborhood.  We continue to have strong representation at Water Street.  We continue to have strong representation at our Food Bank and our CIC committee. 

Even while wars rage in the world around us, needs locally and domestically do not cease to exist.  We never have to set up a false dichotomy that if we are wanting to help out locally we have to stop thinking about helping beyond our community.  Often people approach it as a scarcity of resources problem when in reality we can do both.  This church has done both historically and in the present.  While our gaze might for a season rest on the tragedies of the wars in Israel and Ukraine, we do not lose sight of the needs of our own youth who might be spending some time in the Lancaster Intervention Center or of our member families who are having a hard time making ends meet. 

The needs of the youth do not take precedent over the needs of the family nor do the family’s needs tie our hands so we can’t send relief overseas.  This is part of what Jesus meant when he responded to the indignation of the perfume being poured over his head in Mark 14 as being a waste of funds: “For you always have the poor with you.”  The implication is that don’t pick and choose when you are going to help those who are in need, it has to be part of our life day in and day out.

Your servant in Christ,

Pastor Bob

HAPPENING IN THE LIFE OF FPC…

            Service of Healing and Wholeness:  Join us at 2pm in the sanctuary as we gather to pray for specific physical healing.  If you are in need of physical healing and would like to have the elders and the pastor pray over you as we follow the words of James 5:14.

            Trunk or Treat:  We need more cars!  Join us in the parking lot at 4:30 with candy and some decorations and you are in as a helper to the community.  We will be reaching out to the children of this community from 5-6:30.

            Celebrate the Church birthday with us on Sunday, November 12:  From 9:30-10:30 we will be celebrating the church’s birthday with a brunch given in honor of all of our 50 year members.  Come and join us as we eat together and reminisce about the church and its people and its ministries.  During this time we will also be dedicating the space that was recently renovated.  Come and join us!

            FPC is hosting Donegal Presbytery on November 14:  We will be hosting the Donegal Presbytery meeting on Tuesday, November 14.  If you are at all interested in the inner workings and machinations of the Presbytery feel free to stop by and witness what 49 churches gathered together are able to do.  The meeting begins at 9:30 and last until about 3. 

            Ministerium Thanksgiving Service:  Join Christians from Strasburg on Sunday, November 21 at 4pm at St. Michael’s Lutheran Church as we celebrate thanksgiving together as a community.  This is sponsored by the seven churches of Strasburg in the Ministerium.

            Links to the survey results:  We recently had a survey done for our Prayer, Scripture and Action emphasis.  You can find the results here: https://www.straspres.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/PSA-Results-in-Charts-September-Final.pdf

            Reminder about new construction:  We are so pleased with how things have come about with our new construction.  I wanted to send out a few reminders now as we begin with our new normal.  Some of the light switches have changed location and it might be a bit more challenging to find them when you leave the building.  We encourage everyone who is on the campus to turn off the lights when they leave and are finished with the space and close the door behind you to conserve energy and protect the building in the case of fire.  Enjoy the new spaces!

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e-news for October 16, 2023

Dear FPC family and friends,

            It has rained every day since we have been here.  It is what you come to expect from the Pacific Northwest.  If you expect that things are going to be a certain way, then you don’t really complain, you just live your life in a way that adapts to what can be universally perceived as a negative.  We read this morning about the Israelites in Moses’ day who complained because they had no meat and actually said it would have been better to be slaves back in Egypt than to go through life without this seemingly necessary dietary offering.  They weren’t expecting to go meatless in their journey to the promised land and it wasn’t something to which they were willing to adapt 

            At what point are you willing to take what is clearly an offense or a way of life that anyone looking in from the outside could categorically classify as a hardship or as a way of life that they would never sign up to live?  And then at what point once that line is crossed and you are not willing to take it do you react to remedy the reality which you are facing?  Then, and this is the most difficult part, what does your remedy entail and can that remedy ever involve violence and bloodshed?  From my biblical perspective violence is never an option if we are truly looking to follow Jesus in all of His ways.  I know, this is a debatable point and many of you may not only disagree but actually feel angry that I may say such a thing.

            We have all been horrified by what is happening in Israel these days.  The tragedies and horrors seen at the hands of Hamas reflect the tragedies and the horrors experienced by Palestinians in that region for years.  Whenever we go to Israel we spend the majority of our time with Zionist Israelis who show us the lands where Jesus walked.  They present us a perspective that closely matches a perspective of thought that sees Israel as having the right to do as it pleases with that land and the people in that land.

            But we also spend some time with Palestinian Christians who have been in that land since before Jesus walked on the earth.  The difficulty in claiming that land for one group or another, especially when it is based on a religious perspective, is that there are others who claim it for their own reasons, religious or otherwise.  Palestinian Christians are not only our brothers and our sisters just as Israeli Jews are, but religiously they come directly from the family of Jesus. They tend to be forgotten behind the walls built around them and locked out of the good jobs because they are assumed to be something that they are not.

            In our own civil rights battles the most progress has been made when non-violence was used as a tool to bring people to the bargaining table.  When we look at Palestine and Israel it is impossible to see progress because violence has been the tool used over the past millennia.  The Bible tells us to overcome evil with good.  The Bible tells us that vengeance is mine says the Lord.  Our Savior won the victory through grace and truth.  Trust me when I say that I know how naïve that sounds, but how have things been done up to now?  Through a prism of violene we have tragically seen families torn apart on both sides is the result up to now. 

I have good friends from high school and college who live in Israel and see things differently than I do, and their pain and anguish is real.  We cannot minimize the atrocities that have been committed and we must recognize that this is real life, this is truly happening.  But we cannot distance ourselves from our commitment to be disciples of Jesus Christ which means that we act and believe and think in a certain way which reflects our Savior’s actions, and beliefs, and teachings.  There is nothing that can happen in this world which would cause us to put that on hold.  Pray for Israel, for all the people there.

Your servant in Christ,

Pastor Bob

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e-news for October 6, 2023

Dear FPC family and friends,

            It’s all in the details.  We are so close to being finished with the construction.  Our construction began with the big demolition and then over time it moved to the smallest of the details.  We are in that final phase where we no longer have a dumpster, but we are trying to figure out how to connect a phone to the new welcome area.  You would think that is something very simple, while the demolition of an office seems to be complicated.  But the opposite is true.  It isn’t hard to tear something down, but once you get to the final days, the details of making everything work and making everything look nice and presentable, well, that’s not easy.

            This week’s Scripture for Sunday addresses what it looks like being a disciple of Jesus Christ.  Believing in Jesus is not the most difficult part of being a disciple.  We see that where James says in 2:19 that it is good of you to believe in God.  That is a great first step.  But you can’t just leave it at that.  Even the demons believe and shudder.  The work that it takes to be a disciple, to follow Jesus, is at a different level than just believing. 

            We are currently on a journey where we are catching a glimpse of the work that it takes to be a disciple of Jesus Christ.  It takes work to read the Bible.  I have you on a path where you are reading probably over 30 minutes a day in Scripture.  That sounds like a lot and for some of you it seems interminable.  But it is something that a disciple does.  It is part of the details that produces an end result where the disciple understands better what it means to walk with Jesus.  Reading the Bible is not an end to itself, having a closer walk with Jesus is.

            It takes work to consistently be in prayer.  As a congregational family we are meeting regularly to pray together.  This Saturday at 10am in Fellowship Hall won’t you join us for a time of Being in the Presence?  The details of being a disciple have to include prayer.  Without prayer we don’t have a relationship that matters with Jesus.  There is no nice way to say that.  As we are in the presence communally this Saturday I hope and pray that it motivates you to be in the presence individually on your own time with Jesus.  Being in prayer isn’t an end to itself, having a closer walk with Jesus is.

            It takes work to purposefully reach out in action in a Matthew 25 way.  As a congregation we have so many programs that this church sponsors.  They aren’t all with children, but many are.  If you have ever been a part of any church you know that they all have one thing in common: the need for volunteers in their children’s program.  Currently we really need help in our Sunday School, in our nursery, at Clubhouse.  But we also have opportunities for service at our Food Bank, and with our CIC committee which is reaching out in concern.  Terry Sweigart continues to lead our efforts at Water Street and more volunteers can be used there as well.  Acting in concern and love for others isn’t an end to itself, having a closer walk with Jesus is.

            It is all in the details.  If you are not Praying, reading Scripture, or Acting in love for your neighbor, then you may have done the heavy lifting of believing, but the details that draw you closer to Him are still missing.  Look for ways to pay attention to the details.

Your servant in Christ,

Pastor Bob

HAPPENING IN THE LIFE OF FPC…

            Being in the presence this Saturday, October 7 at 10am:  Join us as we gather to pray together as a congregation in Fellowship Hall.  Carole Turano will lead us in a time of guided prayer as we continue our pursuit of Christ as faithful disciples. 

            No Thursday Bible Study for the next two weeks:  There will be no Bible Studies on October 12 or October 19. We will pick up again on October 26 here: Youtube

            Harvest Home Sunday, October 29:  Please refer to the list in the ad in this bulletin as a guide for purchasing and delivering food. The PW committee appreciates your donations. Thank you!

            Women’s Tuesday Bible Study: Join us at 9am or 7pm.  This fall we will be working on a newly released study entitled “When You Pray.” This 7-week session looks at 6 prayers in the Bible presented by some authors/speakers we know and – for us – some new ones.  Both classes will be held in rooms 3-4.  All are welcome.  For any questions, please contact Lorraine Oliver, Stacy Bronkema, Linda Bredin, or Sandy Wenger.      

            Deacons’ Friendship Tea on October 23 at 1pm: Everyone is welcome and wanted for the annual Deacon Tea! This year’s theme is Chocolate and Friendship (with a side of Prayer, Scripture, and Action). Come for the BINGO, sandwiches, scones, tea, coffee, or chocolate…just COME! Laughter starts at 1pm in Fellowship Hall. Sign up in Fellowship Hall. ALL are WELCOME!

            Trunk or Treat on October 29: Sign up at the welcome desk and have your car parked and decorated with a suitable theme by 4:30pm. Children should arrive in a costume between          5-6:30pm. Anyone who would like to donate candy and snack items should sign-up at the welcome desk. For more information contact Beth Feiler at bfeiler@straspres.org or 717-572-9683.

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e-news for September 28, 2023

Dear FPC family and friends

            Airports and airplanes are a little bit my happy place.  Alice Eisenhooth and I are traveling back from Decatur, Georgia after spending some time at Columbia Theological Seminary.  While we were at this Presbyterian seminary we got to spend time with the other 9 churches that received the Rekindle grant which we received as we kicked off Prayer, Scripture, and Action.  We both learned a lot and we are looking forward to sharing some of this experience with you as we participate together in this focused project to bring us closer to Christ. 

            We spent some time talking about what a thriving congregation looks like.  The definition of thriving that we came up with for the conference was when everyone in the church is moving in the same direction.  That doesn’t mean that we all think the same or believe the same individual things, but it does meant that we are all moving in concert for the same goal.  So what is the goal?  We came up with that as well.  The why of this project is this: To bring people closer to Christ.  This is our why, this is why we do what we do as a church.  Every single program, every single worship, every single preschool class, every single…you fill in the blank, is for the primary purpose of bringing people closer to Christ.

            When you read Scripture my prayer is that your walk with Christ will be enriched.  When you read Scripture my prayer is that you find the living Lord among the pages and then you can apply it to your life.  When we are involved in action, whether it be with a group of men to West Virginia, more on that later, or the myriad of social ministries that Alicia and others have founded and continue to foster, I hope that you see Christ in the midst of the work. 

            I saw the presence of Christ clearly in the work of Ryan Fulmer, Todd Allison, Steve Giberson, and Steve Hess.  I was privileged to travel to West Virginia with them and my brother David and I were able to serve them lunches and clean out trash on the work site and drive to get material.  These men worked to rebuild an outdoor porch and fix a roof that was leaking and falling apart for more than 20 years.  As you can imagine, things were a bit dilapidated.   But they worked hard for two days and got the job ahead of time.  We had devotions in the morning and in the evening and the general consensus was that we had no idea that such poverty existed in a region not far from home.  Every one of us was determined to come back to the community and find ways to continue the small work that we did, so that relationships could be built and not just houses.  This will be done.

            The presence of Christ manifested itself in a closer walk with Him for these men as they took action to reach out in concern and care for their “neighbor” in West Virginia.  What we found out in Georgia is that if we can extend this sense of walking closer to Christ to all within First Presbyterian either through Action or Scripture or Prayer, then we are able to move together in harmony.  I think we are pretty close to being there, but it doesn’t hurt to encourage us to try to do a touch more to reach that thriving together.

Your servant in Christ,

Pastor Bob

HAPPENING IN THE LIFE OF FPC…

Being in the Presence on October 7 at 10am in Fellowship Hall we will have our gathering of Being in the Presence led by our very own Carole Turano. 

Confirmation begins this Sunday:  If you have a child who is 7^th grade and older they are welcome to join the confirmation class.  We will be meeting in room 3/4 after the second service, so around 12:15.

            Bible Study this Evening:  Join me this evening for Bible Study at 6pm.  You can join here: Youtube

            Women’s Tuesday bible study begins Tuesday, October 3^rd – The morning class begins @ 9am & evening class will start @ 7pm.  This fall we will be working on a newly released study entitled “When You Pray.” This 7-week session looks at 6 prayers in the Bible presented by some authors/speakers we know and – for us – some new ones.  Both classes
will be held in rooms 3-4.  All are welcome.  For any questions, please contact Lorraine Oliver, Stacy Bronkema, Linda Bredin, or Sandy Wenger.      

            Deacons’ Friendship Tea Ÿ October 23 at 1pm Everyone is welcome and wanted for the annual Deacon Tea! This year’s theme is Chocolate and Friendship (with a side of Prayer, Scripture, and Action). Come for the BINGO, sandwiches, scones, tea, coffee, or chocolate…just COME! Laughter starts at 1pm in Fellowship Hall. ALL are WELCOME!

            Community Impact Fund Update:  Did you know that September marked the one year anniversary of the Community Impact Fund? Over the past year, we have been able to assist 40 families with their rent, utility, and emergency needs through this fund. If you find yourself in need of assistance or would like to contribute to this work, please contact us at 717-400-1837 or aeltman@straspres.org.

            Trunk or Treat on October 29:   Sign up at the welcome desk and have your car parked and decorated with a suitable theme by 4:30pm. Children should arrive in a costume between 5-6:30pm. Anyone who would like to donate candy and snack items should sign-up at the welcome desk. For more information contact Beth Feiler at bfeiler@straspres.org or 717-572-9683.

            Church Parking Lot Closed on Monday, October 9 Ÿ The Trustees have scheduled the repainting of parking space lines and traffic flow lines/symbols for Monday, October 9, starting at 7 am, weather permitting. There will be NO parking in the lot until the work is finished that day. Please use Decatur Street parking during that time for church access. Thank you.

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e-news for September 23, 2023

Dear FPC family and friends,

            We are here in West Virginia in beautiful, sunny, mild weather.  I hear you all are getting a touch of rain in Strasburg.  As a result of the rain and the forecast for a deluge, the ministerium has decided to cancel tomorrow’s service of unity.  We will not be having service tomorrow at FPC, instead here is what I would ask of you to do.  We were going to have a day of unity among the churches in Strasburg, I would love for that to still happen.  Would you consider worshipping in one of our sister churches in Strasburg?  You will find below the times of the services and the addresses of the churches.  Let them know that you are from First Presbyterian and let’s continue to bring this community together for Christ.

Your servant in Christ,

Pastor Bob

Strasburg Mennonite Church

10:00 am Worship Service

ACTS Family of Churches – Strasburg

10:00am Worship Service

Wesley United Methodist Church

9:00am Worship Service

High View Church of God

10:15am Worship Service

St. Michael’s Lutheran Church

10:00am Worship Service 

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e-news for September 14, 2023

Dear FPC family and friends,

            In our Bible reading for this week we see Jesus on the cross and his mother and the disciple whom he loved, the disciple John, by his side at the foot of the cross.  In that scene Jesus looks at his mother and says to her: ‘Woman, here is your son.”  Then he looks at John and he says to him: “Here is your mother.”  I have always seen this scene as a time in Jesus’ life when he makes sure that his mother is taken care of for the rest of her life.  When we traveled to Turkey we were able to go to Ephesus and see the place where historically John the disciple lived and where Mary may have also lived to finish out her life.

            The responsibility as the oldest child in the family to ensure that his mother was taken care of was something that Jesus took seriously and was also something he was thinking of as he was on the cross.  This scene has remained with me as a very human and responsible action on Jesus’ part.  I can’t say taking care of your parents would be on most of our minds as we are being tortured on the cross.

            This week I am in Florida and helping my mom and her husband move into transitional housing.  I’ve spent all week so far up in the attic of their house taking things down and ensuring that they find a home for all those things that aren’t going to make the move with them.  It has been an incredibly productive week and one that I am treasuring being able to spend with my mom.  We don’t spend much time together, so I’m loving this.  In my ministry I have heard from many of you and lived through with many of you transitions as your parents have moved or faced different stages in their lives.  I feel like I have lived a bit of a charmed life in that I haven’t experienced many of the highs and the lows of family transitions.  

            But this time in Florida with my mom has given me a bit of a better insight into what it looks like and what it feels like to walk alongside a parent in a transitional time in their lives.  While the physical effort that it takes to move someone is not difficult, the emotional and spiritual impact that a massive transition like this can have on people should never be overlooked.  The transitions that we experience as we age are unique and hit each of us in different ways.  We don’t tend to think about them as we are raising a family or living by ourselves in our younger years.  

            But just as Jesus wanted to ensure that his mother was taken care of and he took concrete steps to see that to fruition, it is so important for us as a church to identify those within our community and beyond who might be facing similar transitions in their lives as a result of age related changes.  How can we meet the needs of those who may not have a John to walk alongside them in these changes?  The church needs to be the John of those who are looking for answers as they transition from one stage of life to the next.  I’m not sure we emphasize enough this time of life in our ministries or our programs.  Hopefully we can remedy that in these years to come.  Keep your eyes open to where we might be able to step into the void.

Your servant in Christ,

Pastor Bob

HAPPENING IN THE LIFE OF FPC…

            No church on Sunday September 24.  We will all be meeting at the community park at 10am with the other churches of Strasburg to worship together.  Come and join us and bring a chair.

            Bible Study this evening:  Join us this evening at 6pm for Bible study here: Youtube

            Welcome Nicole Keays:  Nicole has begun her work as our office administrator.  You can reach her at nkeays@straspres.org.  It is so great to have her on board.

            Continue to join us as we read through the Bible here: Bible Reading

WOMEN’S TUESDAY BIBLE STUDY BEGINS TUESDAY, OCT. 3^rd – The morning class begins 
@ 9am & evening class will start @ 7pm.  This fall we will be working on a newly released study entitled “When You Pray.” This 7-week session looks at 6 prayers in the Bible presented by some authors/speakers we know and – for us – some new ones.  Both classes 
will be held in rooms 3-4.  All are welcome.  For any questions, please contact Lorraine Oliver, Stacy Bronkema, Linda Bredin, or Sandy Wenger.       

            OFFICE HELP NEEDED:  During this time of transition in the office we would love to find two or more people who might be willing to volunteer for three hours at the church welcome desk.  We need someone on Thursdays from 9-12 and one or two people who might be willing to jump in when one of our regulars might be out.  Let Pastor Bob know if you are willing to help.

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e-news for September 8, 2023

Dear FPC family and friends,

            I’m really enjoying reading through the Bible and having a disciplined, scheduled time to read Scripture.  I choose the mornings because I like to start my day with the presence of the Lord that is undeniable before I get into things that might take my focus off of the Lord.  Here is the link to the brochure to read through the Bible: https://www.straspres.org/2023/08/read-through-the-bible-brochure/.  Follow along with us as we make our way through Scripture, and you can also follow along on the blog as I post daily where I see God’s hand at work in the Scripture for that day.  Here is the link to the blog: https://www.straspres.org/category/bible-reading-challenge-blog/.

            There could be some of you who might be a bit skeptical as to what this whole Prayer, Scripture, and Action initiative might be.  There is a big question mark as to where it will lead.  I hope the Holy Spirit takes hold and leads us to a place we cannot predict and expect.  Can I encourage you and remind you to participate in the first part of the PSA?  Tomorrow at 10am in Fellowship Hall we will be in prayer together as a congregation.  Carole Turano is going to lead us in a time of Being in the Presence.  You actually have to agree to spend time with God in ways that you may not be used to and in ways that you may not want to spend with God in order to experience God fully.

            I’m not sure I can let you off the hook if you just signed up to come along for the ride here at FPC.  It is an exciting ride, but there aren’t many passengers who don’t eventually get asked to help steer the ship every now and then.  We had our first nominating meeting last evening.  It is that time of year that we ask you to step forward to agree to serve as an officer of the church.  For many, seeing the inner workings of the church can be a bit offsetting.  I mean, who wants to see how the sausage is made after all?  It isn’t always pretty, but it is always transparent.  That is one area of the life of the church that has to be consistent.  We can’t have the pastor, or any leadership for that matter, trying to get their agenda across in a way that undermines the transparency of the church as a whole.

            There are very few churches that have their yearly reports sitting out on a table when you walk into the church.  In this yearly report you don’t just have the work of the church for the year, but you also have the budget and all of the financial figures.  We have nothing to hide and we want people to know that we are committed to supporting our missionaries, we are committed to supporting dozens of ministries locally, nationally, and internationally.  We are committed to ensuring that our children and youth do not find themselves without resources as they try to navigate this life and all that is thrown at them.  We are committed to providing curriculum to our adult Sunday School classes and our mid-week Bible Studies.  You can see how much we invest in all of you, but that is only possible because you all invest so much into the church.

            The more we invest in each other, the more possibility there is for us as a church to invest into the community.  Thank you for sharing this common goal to bring people to a saving knowledge of Christ so that His kingdom would come.

Your servant in Christ,

Pastor Bob     

HAPPENING IN THE LIFE OF THE CHURCH…

WORSHIP ON SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 24 AT STRASBURG COMMUNITY PARK.  JOIN US!!! No activities at the church that day.

            Women’s Bible Study:  Beginning on October 3^rd at 9am and 7pm there will be a women’s Bible study offered that is going to look at “When you pray”.  This 7 week session looks at 6 prayers in the Bible.  Both classes will be held in room 3-4.  All women are welcome.  For questions please contact Lorraine Oliver, Stacy Bronkema, Linda Bredin, or Sandy Wenger.

            Office help needed:  During this time of transition in the office we would love to find two or more people who might be willing to volunteer for three hours at the church welcome desk.  We need someone on Mondays from 1-4 and one or two people who might be willing to jump in when one of our regulars might be out.  Let Pastor Bob know if you are willing to help.

            Welcome to Nicole Keays, our new interim part-time Office Administrator:  Nicole and her family, husband Will and children Harper, Ainsley, and Grayson, have been at First Presbyterian now for a number of years.  Nicole has a teaching degree from Millersville and is looking forward to working at the church.  Make sure you welcome her when you see her.  In order to reach her and the office you can use her new email at nkeays@straspres.org.  

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e-news for August 23, 2023

Dear FPC family and friends,

            I led a futile search throughout the Bible for a verse that would echo the hymn: “Count your blessings.”  There simply is no Bible verse that says those words.  But there are plenty of verses that tell us to rest assured that: “God will fully satisfy every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”  We also find in Psalm 103:2 the author tells us to: “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and do not forget all his benefits.”  The Psalmist then goes on to give a short list of benefits in vs.3 such as: forgiveness, healing, redemption, steadfast love, mercy, goodness.  I wanted to find a verse that said “count your blessings” because I am going to give you a list of things in this enews which I consider to be incredible blessings that we are currently experiencing.  Here we go.

            At session on Wednesday evening we laid hands on Walter Kondratowski and prayed over him as session endorsed him to Presbytery as an Inquirer.  This is the first step toward ordination to become a Minister of the Word and Sacrament.  We have a history of doing these types of things.  Within the last 10 years three of our people have been ordained while members of this church:  Brett Foote, Holly Miller, and Karen Bachman.  When you see Walter encourage him as he begins this new journey.  What a blessing it is for us to have one within our midst who wants to become a shepherd to others in this way.

            I continue to remain amazed at the timing of God’s financial blessings that we have been receiving through inheritances and other sources such as grants and federal ERC funds.  While our weekly giving is slightly above last year’s, it is nowhere near our budgeted needs.  But God has provided and continues to provide in other ways to offset the lower giving.  In fact, we have been able to put aside a significant amount for mission giving through inherited funds.  Also through inherited funds we have been able to contribute to the Presbytery initiative to help pay off the Shiloh Presbyterian Church mortgage on their community life building.  Your session some months back committed $50,000 to help pay that off and just recently those funds were disbursed. 

            Your giving allowed session the freedom to trust that when we have been given much, it is our responsibility to bless others at least in a small fraction of the way in which we have been blessed.  Shiloh Presbyterian in Oxford has an amazing story.  It is one of the remaining historically black Presbyterian Churches in our Presbytery.  It grew out of Lincoln University and remains a pillar of faith and community growth within the city of Oxford.  We are thrilled to be able to be a small part of their recent history.  We also are working with a team down there to help with their streaming. 

            I guess this past week during the benediction at the first service I was a bit overcome with a recognition that the blessings we have received as a congregation are a bit overwhelming.  Looking out and seeing you all be impacted by the witness of our youth hit home.  Okay, “Here I am Lord” also had something to do with it.  We do not deserve these blessings, but we are experiencing them together as a congregational family.  I encourage all of you to be reminded of how God has blessed you and the responsibility we all carry to bless those with whom we come into contact.  We often wonder how us blessing others will impact our ability to carry on.  My challenge to you is to wonder how our blessing others will impact our relationship with Jesus.  I can assure you that it will only provide you with a closer walk with your Savior.

Your servant in Christ,

Pastor Bob

HAPPENING AT FPC…

            Worship on September 24 is at the Strasburg Community Park.  There will be no worship services or Sunday School on that day.

Bible Study:  Join us for Bible Study this Thursday at 6pm here:  Youtube

Bible Challenge – Beginning September 4, we will once again provide the opportunity to take part in a 9 month read through the Bible Challenge.  It is going to be very similar to the one we did in 2022 except that it will begin in September and carry us through to next year.  Bible Challenge brochures are available on the information table in the glass foyer.

Being in the Presence – On September 9 at 10am in Fellowship Hall we will have our first new gathering of Being in the Presence led by our very own Carole Turano. 

Join us on a construction mission trip to West Virginia:  We will be taking part in a mission trip to West Virginia to help build steps and and a large outdoor porch for a family in need in West Virginia.  The dates of the trip are September 22-24.  There will be an informational meeting for the trip after church on September 3 at 12:15pm.  

Annual Church Picnic at Tinney Pavilion this Sunday, Aug. 27 at 12:15pm,  after 2^nd service:  Food, fellowship, games, including the corn-hole tournament, Bingo, pulled pork sandwiches, hot dogs, drinks, and place settings are provided.  Please bring a dish to share!  It is a great opportunity to invite a neighbor, family, and friends to experience the life of First Presbyterian. 

Blessing of the backpacks – On Sunday, August 27 at both services we will be blessing the backpacks as kids head off to school.  Make sure your child has their backpack with them as they come to church that Sunday.

New Member’s Classes – Interested in finding out more about First Presbyterian or joining the church?  Come and join us for new member’s classes starting on August 27 at 3pm in the library.  Pastor Bob will lead you on a journey to answer your questions and give you insight into the church.

Last chance to fill out the congregational survey:  If you have not filled out the congregational survey yet, please, please, please fill it out.  Here is the link that you can click to fill it out,  It takes less than 10 minutes: PSA survey

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e-news for August 16, 2023

Dear FPC family and friends,

            Did you realize that once preschool begins in less than a month we will have 25 people working for First Presbyterian?  Wait what?  That’s right, we have 25 people who have agreed to spend their time and their effort in a paid position to help with the ministry and mission of First Presbyterian.  Twelve years ago when I got here we had 8 people who were working for the church with four of them being full time.  We now have 25 people working for the church and three who are full time.  Granted that most of those on staff find themselves on the side of the preschool, but the numbers are there.

            With that many people on board it is inevitable that there will be transition.  Over this month we have received notice that two on our team are moving away from paid positions here at the church.  Alicia Eltman began a couple of years ago in her contracted position as the social worker for the church.  In her short time here she has been able to kick off CIC, a fund that she secured through grants that is able to meet the financial needs of those in crisis.  Dozens of families have been helped through this fund.  She has created an opportunity for those who have incarcerated family members to receive a care package from the church as a sign of solidarity and love.  She has set up a computer center for those in need at our church where people are able to access online benefits and find help.

            She has found financial resources for our food bank and was instrumental in setting up an initiative to have a home available for children from the LS school district who might be in need of a few nights stay with volunteers.  While this program never got off the ground, we have the skeleton in place should we ever want to resurrect it.  She has helped individuals within the church family understand benefits that are available to them and has been a listening ear of concern to those within the community. 

            While she is stepping away from her responsibilities as a social worker at the church, her interest and involvement in the church has not waned.  I wanted to take this space to give her a shout out and a big thank you for the lives that she has touched and for getting the social worker position off to a great start here at FPC.  We are looking for someone to fill her spot, it is for 10 hours a week.  Let me know if you know of someone who might be willing to take on this calling.  It takes a special person.

            Also this week Mary Tunison has informed the session that she is stepped away from her position as Administrative Assistant.  Mary came on nearly three years ago at the height of Covid.  She has had to maneuver and juggle so many different unknowns in her time here.  There has been no more difficult time to work at First Presbyterian than over the three years that she has been here. 

            Her years of experienced were invaluable to us as she took over from Karen Cooper who was on the helm for over 30 years before her.  Being able to step in at the time she did and in a position like this one is no easy task.  Again, thank you Mary for your three years here, and make sure if you see her between now and her last day which is September 14 you express your appreciation to her.

            We are so blessed here at First Presbyterian with people who love the church and love working for the church.  You all make that possible and you make the mission and the ministry of the church viable.  To God be the glory!

Your servant in Christ,

Pastor Bob

P.S.  If you have not filled out your congregational survey yet please take a few minutes to do it here.  We want everyone to fill it out once.  Thank you sooo much.  PSA survey

HAPPENING IN THE LIFE OF FPC…

            Bible Study this Thursday evening, August 17:  Join us this Thursday, and every Thursday, at 6pm here at this link for Bible Study.  Youtube

            September 24 church is at Strasburg Community Park at 10am:  Join us and all the Strasburg Community Park as we worship God together on Sunday, September 24 at 10am at the Strasburg Community Park.  We will not be having Sunday School or worship here at FPC on that day.

            Being in the Presence:  Join us as we kick off the P in the Prayer, Scripture and Action initiative on September 9 at 10am in Fellowship Hall.  Let us all pray together!

            Read through the Bible Challenge:  We will begin on September 4 and you can find a link to the brochure and the blog here: Bible Reading Challenge

            FPC church picnic:  Join us for a church picnic on Sunday, August 27 right after the second worship.  Bring something to share with others.  Bring others to share in the fellowship and activities.

            Bluegrass Festival on September 2 at the Strasburg Community Park.  Join us!

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e-news for August 10, 2023

Dear FPC family and friends,

            So if last week was a paint fumes induced sermon, this week it is a plumber’s glue induced enews.  Time marches on and so does the construction.  It is fascinating to be in the midst of an area where people are hard at work to ensure that the final product is exactly as the customer wants it.  The noise, the dust, the smells are all a part of the process that eventually leads to the results that everyone would want.  If you took any of that out then the finished product would not be nearly what you would want it to be.

            Last Sunday we saw that it is hard work being a disciple of Jesus Christ.  Our Savior himself warns us that the road is hard that leads to His kingdom.  Who would choose a more difficult, narrow, treacherous road when the easy, wide and smooth road is right in front of us for the taking?  Well, I hope all of us will take that difficult road, because that is the road that leads to life.  I have people tell me that they don’t understand what is happening in their life, they just feel out of sorts and sucked dry of life.  My guess is that the road they are on is the easy road.  The difficult road leads to life and purpose and fulfilment, and while it is hard, it is well worth it.

            What are some things in life that you choose which are more difficult because you know that the end result is going to be worth it?  In my younger years I used to love spending hours in the gym shooting baskets, or hitting serves on the court, or running sprints on the soccer field.  It was hard, but my heart was full and I really, really enjoyed the discipline and the hard work.  I can’t say it really paid off all that well.  While I did play basketball in college, I didn’t really set the world on fire, even though the older I get the better I was in my mind.

            But that hard work was not only worth the effort, it was also enjoyable in a twisted sort of way.  My brothers and I still comment on how much fun it is to play tennis when it is hot and the sweat is pouring down.  While this might be TMI, can’t we make the same analogy with our faith?  While it might be difficult to be disciplined in reading Scripture daily, it is so well worth it.  While it might seem incredibly daunting to put aside every single day time to pray to our Savior, it does produce incredible fruit.  While it might seem overwhelming to plan a mission trip to West Virginia to help build homes, the results are undeniable.  The hard work that goes into being a disciple of Jesus Christ is worth the effort both on this earth and to prepare us for eternal life. 

            When Jesus tells his disciples that the animals that surround them have places of lodging and rest, but as disciples they do not know from one day to the next where their provision might come (Matthew 8:20), it could be disheartening to the less dedicated.  But to those who understood the sacrifice that is involved in being a follower, it was well worth the effort and the sacrifice.  My prayer for all of us is that we would be able to say the same and live in a similar fashion.  My prayer is that we would not count the cost as loss, but rather as an opportunity to sacrifice so that our time with the Lord is well worth the effort.

Your servant in Christ,

Pastor Bob

HAPPENING IN THE LIFE OF FPC…

            Bible Study this evening, join us!  You can join us every Thursday evening, including this evening, for Bible study here at this link:  Youtube

            Join us on a construction mission trip to West Virginia:  We will be taking part in a mission trip to West Virginia to help build steps and and a large outdoor porch for a family in need in West Virginia.  The dates of the trip are September 22-24.  There will be an informational meeting for the trip after church on September 3 at 12:15.  The cost of the trip will be $50.  Please come to the informational meeting and let Pastor Bob know you are interested.

            Please fill out your Prayer, Scripture, Action survey:  Follow this link to fill out the survey, and please fill it out only once: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdzd72f5DIT6f5shhWlGcMFUCRQREe6zOmTvN-oE4HjHNIeJQ/viewform

            Coffee Hour:  We need someone to fill in the open spot for Sunday, August 20.  Remember, you are welcome to reimburse yourself from the donation that come into the basket.  Our church family so values this time during coffee hour, join in the effort to make it a special together.  There are a few other openings as well.

            Community Service at Strasburg Park on September 24:  We will not be having worship at our location on Sunday, September 24.  The Strasburg Ministerium will be worshipping together at 10am at the Strasburg Park on that day.  Please come and join us!

            Church-wide picnic:  On August 27 we will be having our yearly church picnic at Tinney Pavilion.  Following the second service we will meet for food, fun, and fellowship at the pavilion.  This is a great opportunity to invite friends and family over for the occasion. 

            Blessing of the Backpacks:  On August 27 we will be asking for a blessing upon all the children who are heading back to school at both services.  Your child and youth is encouraged to bring their backpack to church where it will be blessed in an opportunity to focus on the beginning of the school year and God’s presence in our children and youth’s lives.

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e-news for August 2, 2023

Dear FPC family and friends,

            Can I talk to you about PSA for a second?  You will be hearing this acronym a lot over these next 9 months.  The letters stand for Prayer, Scripture and Action.  First Presbyterian received a Lilly grant from Columbia Theological Seminary to launch a program that is called Rekindle.  In the words of the seminary these “grant projects will support a congregation’s capacity to enhance their vitality in a post–COVID–19 context. The program will help congregations realize their goal of being a thriving congregation by supporting their focused attention on an identified mission priority.”  We put together a team of folks who are on the steering committee for PSA: Kristin Kondratowski, Marcia Andersen, Alicia Eltman, Tim Ott, Carole Turano, Tricia Wilson, Alice Eisenhooth, Michael Wilson (ex-officio) and my brother David Bronkema is consulting.

            We decided to choose our mission priorities from our mission statement of Know, Grow, and Go.  In this way over these next nine months we will be focused on Prayer, Scripture, and Action.  Our emphasis on prayer will bring us to monthly gatherings of Being in the Presence led by our very own Carole Turano.  On September 9 at 10am in Fellowship Hall we will have our first gathering of Being in the presence supported by this grant.  Each month after that we will have an opportunity to deepen our prayer habits.

            Our emphasis on Scripture will begin on September 6 when we will have once again the opportunity to take part in a concerted 9 month read through the Bible Challenge.  It is going to be very similar to the one we did in 2022 except that it will begin in September and carry us through to next year.  Also, this year during Holy Week we will have continuous reading of the Bible over a span of 4 days.  You will all have a chance to take part in that and read for an hour or more if you wanted to help us read Scripture continuously. 

            Our emphasis on action will culminate on March 3 as worship together, have a meal together, and then go out and do some action together in the community.  We will have opportunities for ministry in the surrounding area, and if you are not able to get out and do something, we will have a chance for you to write letters to prisoners, make phone calls to shut-ins and other ministries in the comfort of the church. 

            Part of this initiative is to evaluate how we are doing as individuals and as a church in our prayer, Scripture, and action.  To this end beginning this Sunday you will have a chance to fill out a survey that our PSA committee has put together.  Please fill it out, we want everyone in the church to fill it out.  You can also fill out the survey here:  https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdzd72f5DIT6f5shhWlGcMFUCRQREe6zOmTvN-oE4HjHNIeJQ/viewform.  Please fill it out only once, but at least once.

            Also, as part of this initiative we will have a church wide retreat from Friday evening through Sunday worship at Black Rock Retreat Center.  We want everyone to be able to come to this retreat.  We have built into our budget some funds to help offset the cost for this retreat for each of you.  It isn’t free, but it will be offset by an amount from the grant.  Stay tuned for more information.

            I feel like I am almost out of breath as we launch this initiative.  I am really, really excited to see where it takes us.  I pray and I hope that it takes us to walk closer with our Savior Jesus Christ.  After all, that is our purpose here on earth, to walk closer with our Lord.

Your servant in Christ,

Pastor Bob

HAPPENING IN THE LIFE OF FPC…

            Community Wide worship on September 24 in the Strasburg Park:  Once again the Strasburg Ministerium is offering a time of worship for the entire Strasburg community.  The church will be closed on that Sunday, September 24, and we will all be gathered at 10am to worship together at the Strasburg Park.  Come and join your fellow brothers and sisters in Christ of Strasburg.

            Church-wide picnic:  Join us for our annual church picnic on August 27 as we gather after the second worship service at Tinney Pavilion for a time of food, fellowship, and fun.  Make it your mission to invite friends and family members who are not connected to any church community.

            Blessing of the backpacks:  On Sunday, August 27 at both services we will be blessing the backpacks as kids head off to school.  Make sure your child has their backpack with them as they come to church that Sunday.

            Looking for preschool aides:  The preschool has grown and we are looking to hire a few aides to help our teachers.  If you have one morning a week where you can help out for a few hours we would love to bring you on board, and you’ll get paid as well!  Let Pastor Bob or Heather Reynolds know if you are at all interested.

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e-news for July 28, 2023

Dear FPC family and friends,

            We are in the midst of what is being called a heat wave.  I do love being outside and playing sports when it is unbearably hot.  There is something about sweating and competing that is fun for me.  I have never been one to pay a whole lot of attention to our contribution to the degradation of the environment or the effects of our abuse of the planet on the future of the planet.  I have always seen Genesis 1:28 where God says to Adam and Eve: “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it”, as a command for us to be responsible and good stewards of God’s creation.  I have never seen it as a green light to abuse the earth and all that is in it.

            I don’t believe I have ever given a biblical perspective to global warming and its obvious dangers, probably because it has become, like most things, an incredibly politicized topic.  I know I have children who are devoting much of their lives to understanding how we can better take care of God’s creation because they have a sense of responsibility about this earth that I was never taught.  The factual basis of global warming and its visible impacts is really hard to argue if we pay attention to what is happening around us.  But what does the Bible have to say about it?  How do we as disciples of Jesus Christ understand the reality that we are facing without hiding our heads in the sand?

            Jesus uses a variety of imagery from creation.  He speaks about birds and foxes, one of my favorite Bible stories is Jonah and the whale.  In Genesis God destroys creation in the flood and that is a major apocalyptic event.  I don’t believe that global warming is an event that points to God punishing us.  I do believe that it is a result of our abuse of creation.  For those of us living in Strasburg, and Lancaster County in general, the take away is that God calls us to be good stewards and it is up to us to find ways in which we are able to care for His creation as opposed to being oblivious as to how our actions impact creation.

            It is pretty clear if you work with the land that things are changing.  Now, the reason for why things are changing may be debatable, but it is obvious that there are real challenges that we are facing.  As we move out of summer, although it feels like we are smack dab in the dog days of summer, I hope we recognize our responsibility to creation around us.  As we look at this topic the hymn: For the beauty of the earth comes to mind.  Earth and all its creation are beautiful, but as the hymn also reflects, it is our responsibility to sing praises to God for His creation which allows us to live in ways that we can only count as a blessing.

Your servant in Christ,

Pastor Bob

HAPPENING IN THE LIFE OF FPC…

            Annual church picnic:  On Sunday August 27 after the second worship service we will have our yearly picnic.  Bring a dish to share and we will be providing the pulled pork.  It is a great opportunity to invite friends and family members.  The annual corn hole tournament will also take place.

            Bluegrass Festival:  On September 2 at the Strasburg Community Park we will be having our yearly bluegrass festival.  Come and take part. 

            Strasburg Ministerium Community Worship:  On Sunday, September 24, the Strasburg Ministerium will be hosting a community worship service at 10am.  We will not be having church at First Presbyterian that Sunday, but we will be joining all the other churches of Strasburg together at the Community Park.  Mark your calendars!

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e-news for July 20, 2023

Dear FPC family and friends,
How many plates can you spin at once?  Apparently quite a few here at First Presbyterian.  Let’s just get a quick rundown of what is happening around here this week.  The construction is moving along.  We are a month behind schedule so instead of finishing at the end of August, the goal is now the end of September.  VBS is in full swing with over 80 kids showing up to learn about Jesus.  We have such a great group of volunteers that I really don’t have much to do except eat snacks between sessions.  I love this time of year!
The high school youth just got back from their mission trip but the middle school youth are heading out in a couple of weeks.  There was so much momentum from the high school trip that a group of adults are looking to go to West Virginia for a weekend to finish a project in September.  This church is amazing!  I am currently planning not only a trip to Israel, for those interested join us for a meeting on August 6, but I am pulling together for the Presbytery a trip to the African American Museum in Philadelphia on August 31.  If you are interested let me know, it is an all expense paid trip and one that you will never forget.
The food bank continues to serve clients in its new digs and in between all of the construction.  Even in the midst of all these changes they haven’t missed a day.  It is really fun to see two volunteers each time it is open and the interest within the church it is drumming up.  Good job food bank!  Preschool is meeting parents and getting ready for the new year in about two months.  We still have openings in the afternoon pre-K but the teachers, we have 7 now, have been busy preparing for the coming school year.
This week once again we have our Sunday School classes on Sunday morning.  It is unusual for a church to have three adult Sunday School classes, but we have them.  It just speaks to our desire for everyone to grow in Christ.  Speaking of growing, your steering committee for the Prayer, Scripture, and Action initiative is hard at work and have sent out a sample survey to a controlled group to get feedback.  On August 6 we will be launching the initiative, so stay tuned to this space and come to church to see what we will be doing together as a church on this journey of discipleship and growth.
All of this is happening at the same time through a gaggle of different people here at the church.  We have others who are managing some inheritances that we have received over this summer, others who are ensuring that our outreach remains strong with concerts in the park and a church picnic in August, others who are making sure worship remains the center of our life as it should, others making decisions for our 20 staff members.  It may not look like much is happening when you step in here on Sunday morning, but it is a bit of an ant colony where all of us are workers running around getting things done.  
I pray that as we run around we will take moments to stop and give thanks to God that He has allowed us to be a part of this family that values the relationships that we are building with each other and with our Creator.  Let’s not ever take either of those two things for granted.  
Your servant in Christ,
Pastor Bob

HAPPENING AT FPC…

No Bible Study this Evening due to VBS

Interested in the Holy Land?  We will be having an organizational meeting on August 6 at 3pm in room 3/4 here at FPC.  
Journey with us to the African American Museum in Philadelphia:  Join us for trip to the AAMP on August 31.  The charter bus will leave at 1, we will visit the museum, have dinner together and then head home.  This journey is sponsored by the Racial Task Force of the Donegal Presbytery.  The bus trip and the ticket is complementary and there will be a subsidy provided for the meal to help offset some of the cost.  To register you must let Pastor Bob know to sign you up.
You can help out with the Middle School mission trip to New Jersey:  You can sign up to help out with a list of food items using this link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0e48abaa2ca3f5cf8-njmission#/
Annual Church Picnic:  Mark your calendars for August 27 when we will be having our annual church picnic at Tinney Pavilion.  We will have food, corn hole, egg toss, and a great opportunity for fellowship.  Invite a friend and all your neighbors and family.  

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e-news for July 8, 2023

Dear FPC family and friends,

            Did you notice what happened?  For the past two weeks we have had missionaries speak at the church about their work in distant lands.  Both of these families have their young children in tow with them while they are doing God’s work in these distant lands.  Until you actually meet, hear, and interact with missionaries who have their children with them, it is hard to imagine that you yourself could pick up your tent stakes and move to a distant land and do God’s work.  After all, I can’t go because of my kids.  I have always said that one of the driving reasons why we served in Russia was so that our kids could have that experience and be transformed and changed by living in a different culture. 

            After the Harrars spoke this Sunday we have a number of families with kids wondering if they might also be called to serve overseas for a couple of years.  I responded with a resounding: YES!!  Let me be clear, I have also always said that you don’t have to travel overseas to do God’s work.  You can stay right here in Lancaster County and do plenty of God’s work.  We do already!  But there really is something different and more visceral and more intense and more lasting in taking your family to a place where you are working together for the kingdom.

            The heightened interest in doing this type of work took me a bit by surprise.  I guess I should have known, what do you expect the Holy Spirit to do when you invite missionaries to come and speak?  This week we are sending off missionaries from our own church to go to West Virginia and bring God’s Word through building and construction.  A group of 23 of us will be working hard from Sunday through Friday recognizing that it is for such a time as this that God calls us to do this type of work.  It isn’t for a couple of years, but these youth and leaders have agreed to take a week out of their life to use what skills and gifts they have for the kingdom of God. 

            I would love for you to pray for them so here they are:  Jackson Allison, Gannon Black, Madison Brenneman, Rylee Diem, Ephram Claycomb, Gavin Elias, Landon Giberson, Rex Giberson, Elijah Hitchings, Jackson Howe, Tessa Kondratowski, Gabi Nonthaken, Avery Planck, Cameron Straley, Trent Thomas.  The leaders will be: Kristin Kondratowski, Amanda Allison, Bill Payne, Dan Colvin, Bob Bronkema, Sam DePue, and Steve and Donna Szczeniak.  Your prayers would be coveted as we go from July 9, after church, until July 14.

            I heard from a few people after the missionaries spoke about the congregation potentially not being aware that we support these missionaries in our budget.  Your tithes that you give to the church have a direct impact upon the ministry of our missionaries in Asia, upon the Harrar family, upon Vladimir Tatarnikov in Belarus, on Melissa Long in Boston, on our youth going on mission to West Virginia and our middle school youth going on mission to New Jersey.  It is because of your generous giving to the church that we are able to send people out into the world.

            I hope this is clearly understood by everyone.  What you do and what you give makes a difference in the Gospel message being proclaimed throughout the world.  As a missionary at heart, I know first hand the impact that a single congregation’s giving could have upon my work while we were both in Italy and in Russia.  Please know, your giving makes a huge difference, so thank you.

Your servant in Christ,

Pastor Bob

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e-news for June 28, 2023

Dear FPC family and friends,

            What does age have to do with it?  Aristotle once said that we shouldn’t listen to anyone who is younger than 35.  I have never subscribed to that line of reasoning, especially since Jesus began his ministry when he was around 30 and died around the age of 33.  Just think of the mess we would be in if we listened to Aristotle, which would preclude us from listening to Jesus.  Age has been on my mind lately as I have inched closer now to 60 than 50.  That seems like a pretty big step.  Yikes! 

            Last evening there were over 50 of us gathered in Fellowship Hall to get our final marching orders from Kristin Kondratowski as we continue to prepare for our mission trips.  There were over 30 youth who were going to be taking part in the trips and their parents and leaders.  The vast majority of the people in that room were under 35 and yet the excitement, the potential, the palpable enthusiasm for what is going to come next was contagious.  Jesus did not hesitate to welcome young families into his presence, even chastising his disciples for not understanding that the kingdom of God belonged to those much younger than he.  He even used a child as the model upon what our faith ought to be based.

            Our church has been blessed with young families, children and youth who rely upon the church for guidance and wisdom.  They look to the church to provide an infusion of faith as they look to understand what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ.  Kristin and I led a group of 6 youth on a retreat for a few days simply so that they could strengthen their relationship with Jesus.  Our role is not to provide programs or opportunities for youth to be plugged into the church.  The church is not the final goal, the kingdom is.  Our role is to provide a vehicle through which these youth can be plugged into Jesus and follow him with all of their heart, mind, soul, and strength.

            But this is true not only for those under 35, but especially for those who are closer in age to me.  We do not serve the purpose of providing a place to get married and buried.  The church’s function is to bring people, adults and youth alike, on a closer walk with Jesus.  I can’t wait for the beginning of August to launch our PSA (Prayer, Scripture, and Action) where we will together journey to strengthen our relationship with Jesus. 

            Over these next two Sunday we have had missionaries who are serving overseas.  We have a chance to hear how families with small children are serving God in a very real and tangible way in places that we would never imagine going with our children, Kenya and Asia.  I pray that as we experience their testimony we would ask ourselves how are we serving the Lord?  The danger of a faith serving only ourselves is very real in churches.  The last thing we would want is to realize that we are following Jesus only because we think that we can gain something from it.  We are following Jesus because he has already given us eternal life and we can only give thanks to him for that. 

            So as the years tick on and the time that we have together lengthens, I do find myself a bit more introspective and a bit more aware that my desire is to have a real spiritual impact on the community.  The social ministry in which we are involved is undeniable, but what about giving people a real chance at a relationship with Jesus?  I hope and I pray that each and every one of us would never shy away from sharing the impact He has had on our life.  I pray that we would decide to follow Jesus just as our missionaries, and our youth have.

Your servant in Christ,

Pastor Bob

HAPPENING IN THE LIFE OF FPC…

            Join us for VBS:  We are so excited to host another year of VBS.  Please join us to help us make an impact on the community as we reach out to children and their families.  We still volunteers, so sign up with Beth Feiler.  The dates of VBS will be July 16-21.

Bible Study:  Join us for Bible Study every Thursday evening here at this link:  Youtube

Holy Land meeting on August 6:  If you are interested in going to the Holy Land in March of next year please let Pastor Bob know.  There will be an organizational meeting on August 6 at 3pm in Fellowship Hall on that day.

            Help with mission trip:  If you wanted to help donate to the mission trips you can use these links.

https://m.signupgenius.com/#!/showSignUp/10c0e48abaa2ca3f5cf8-wvmission

https://m.signupgenius.com/#!/showSignUp/10c0e48abaa2ca3f5cf8-njmission

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e-news for June 14, 2023

Dear FPC family and friends,

            This week is going to be a flurry of activity to ensure that we are totally prepared for our high school mission trip to West Virginia.  While we won’t be going until July 9-14, there are so many logistical matters that need to be handled.  You all can help with it as well.  You will be finding in the bulletin this week a list of tools that we are asking if you can loan to us so that we can use them when we are in West Virginia.  There is also going to be a list of items that you can donate so that we can keep the costs of the trip down.  Here is where you can sign up to donate items: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0e48abaa2ca3f5cf8-wvmission?useFullSite=true#/

I am convinced that it is going to be a mission trip that will reverberate in the lives of the kids and the adults who will be attending, as well as the congregation as you hear the testimonies from the experience.

            Some time back Mark Feiler, Bill Payne, Kristin Kondratowski and I went to the place where we will be working in West Virginia.  We will be constructing ramps and decks.  As you know, I have travelled all over the world and the United States.  Where we are going is by far the place where I have seen the most poverty out of any location that I have been in in the United States.  Now, I have seen deeper and more dire poverty in other areas of the world, but not here in our country.  People are living in mobile homes that have vegetation and weeds growing inside of them because a large section of the “house” is open to the air. 

            There is a palpable sense of desperation in the region and it really struck me as something that was significant.  What I see happening as result of this mission trip is that we might partner with the organization that is hosting us to begin a new relationship that will allow us as a church to be involved in the community in a significant way.  First Presbyterian used to have a relationship with the Shack in West Virginia, but that has since declined.  There are many significant and important ministries that are at work in that region because there is so much poverty.

            We hear Jesus speaking to his disciples consistently about our responsibility to those who are in need, and he uses the word poor.  Here at First Presbyterian Church we have a myriad of programs that reach out and help the poor within our own community.  We have the CIC program, the food bank, benevolence funds, scholarships, volunteer opportunities and other ways in which we have a significant impact on the Strasburg community.  We also have a significant amount of our mission budget that goes toward financial support for a variety of ministries within our county and region and beyond.  It is very important for us to make sure that we are not just giving outside of our community, but to our community as well in significant ways.  That is why we have a social worker who is responsible for looking for ways to address the needs that arise within our community.

            Beyond that, we are very involved domestically and internationally with mission trips to West Virginia, Florida, Italy and New Jersey.  We have missionaries in Belarus, Kenya, Asia, and other locations that do the work of God and are supported by us because we feel called to make sure that the poor in our midst and beyond are not overlooked.  The impact our mission trip to Florida had on our youth last year is immeasurable.  Having to step over the homeless in order to get to your cot was an experience our youth will never forget. 

            I give thanks to God that I am pastoring a church that cares for the poor in significant ways.  We aren’t just satisfied in sending money so that people in need are out of sight and out of mind.  We invite the poor in, we go to where they are, and we welcome them to worship with us.  Our approach has to always be that the poor are not “they” but us, and we should never look for ways to avoid contact.  As the youth prepare, I hope you can help us to send them off with all that they need, while at the same time look for opportunities in your life to reach out and make a difference around you.

Your servant in Christ,

Pastor Bob

HAPPENING IN THE LIFE OF THE FPC…

            No streaming of church services on Sunday, June 25

VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL is scheduled for July 16- 21 this year.  Volunteers and lots of help are needed!  There is a sign-up list outside room 5.  There is also a snack donation list.  Registration can be found under “Learn” on our website.  For questions, please contact Beth Feiler at bfeiler@straspres.org.

            Church Picnic on August 27

            Bible Study:  Join us for Bible Study here at this link: Youtube

            Trip to the Holy Land:  Please let Pastor Bob know if you are interested in going to the Holy Land in March of 2024.  We will be sending out information to those who have expressed interest in the near future.

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e-news for June 7, 2023

Dear FPC family and friends,

            “What should we do?”  This was the question that those who had gathered in Jerusalem and had been cut to the heart by the Holy Spirit, asked the disciples.  Now that I know Jesus, what do I do next?  Peter answers that question in Acts 2:38 by saying: “Repent, and be baptized.”  There was a clear answer and there was something very specific that they were told to do when they encountered the presence of God in their life.  I asked you a few weeks ago when was the last time that you had a spiritual experience.  When was the last time that you knew that God was present in your midst, that you could feel God because of something that was happening or at a location where you found yourself?  As a pastor I hope you all say: “Every Sunday morning!”  But ask yourself that question, when was the last time that you felt the presence of God, truly felt His presence?

            There is an inexorable pull that I am sensing by the Holy Spirit for us to evaluate our relationship with Christ.  We have spent a lot of time over these past dozen years in doing a lot of things together.  It has been a blast.  But we have spent less time deliberately being in God’s presence and being content with just that.  We were just notified that we have been awarded a grant that is called Rekindle.  It is put out by the Lilly Endowment and its scope is to strengthen churches and their relationship with Jesus post-covid. 

            I need to tell you how excited I am about this upcoming year.  This grant will help us to evaluate if what we are doing is bringing us closer to Jesus or if we are just running programs in order to be a presence in the community.  We want to be more than a presence, we want to be a vehicle through which people will come to a closer relationship with Jesus.  The purpose of this grant is to provide us with tools to have a closer walk with Jesus.  The basic tenet of the grant was PSA (Prayer, Scripture, Action).  We will have someone come in and do a basic spiritual health evaluation of the church at the beginning of our time.

            Then after we are evaluated we will be involved in some very concerted efforts together to Pray and read Scripture together.  In the midst of that time period we will go away together as a church on retreat with all of our families and individuals for a concerted time of prayer and reading of Scripture.  There will also be fellowship and activities, but the primary purpose of this retreat will be for prayer and reading of Scripture.  The grant provides a nice financial opportunity for us to subsidize this retreat for all of us to attend.

            Then at some point we will choose a Sunday where we will have a meal after worship.  After the meal we will assign ourselves to a ministry outside the church where we will engage for the rest of that Sunday.  That is the action in the PSA.  This whole process will wrap up by April of 2024 with a second and final evaluation.  There are so many things that are leading us to this place of going deeper with God as a congregation.  We have not waited for a grant in order to make deliberate moves to have a closer walk with God.

            This Saturday at 10am in Fellowship Hall we are continuing the provide you an opportunity to walk closer with Jesus as we participate in Being in the presence.  It is an hour and a half opportunity to be equipped with the tools and the desire to be in the presence of God.  I can’t encourage you enough to be present this Saturday.  Then, on Sunday after the services, we are meeting at the Hess Pond for a time of renewal and baptism.  This is really the culmination of this weekend as we meet to be in the presence of God and then answer the question together of what should we do?  We answer it with rededication and baptism.  I hope you will all join us together as we celebrate the daily presence of God in our midst.

Your servant in Christ,

Pastor Bob

HAPPENING IN THE LIFE OF FPC…

            Being in the presence:  Join us this Saturday, June 10 at 10am in Fellowship Hall as we gather for prayer and Scripture led by Carole Turano. 

            Time of Renewal and Baptism:  Join us at the Hess Pond on 125 Sides Mill Road.  If you are planning on having your vows renewed before the Lord and/or be baptized make sure you wear dark clothing.  You are welcome to bring a chair as we gather for fellowship.  A meal will be served.  We encourage people to carpool from the church.  You will find a map below showing how to get to the Hess Pond.

            Tour the Holy Land:  An organizational meeting on June 10 at 1pm in room 3/4 will be held for all those who might be interested in traveling to Israel in 2024.  Tentative dates for the trip are March 14-23.  Come and find out more, such as sites we’ll be seeing, trip cost, and many other bits of information.  Join us!

            Bible Study every Thursday evening:  Join us this Thursday at 6pm for a weekly Bible Study.  You can join us here: Youtube

            VBS is coming up!!:  There are so many ways to get involved and to help out for VBS.  There are sign up sheets right outside of room 6 when you first walk in the church.  Also, There will be a VBS CRAFT DAY on Saturday, June 10^th from 12 pm – 3 pm in Fellowship Hall.  Everyone is invited to help make some decorations for VBS.

            There will be no streaming of worship services on June 25.

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e-news for May 25, 2023

Dear FPC family and friends,

            Presbytery was an all-day affair on Tuesday.  We were challenged with asking ourselves if our church was more of a pool church or an ocean church.  The pool is safe, but confined.  The ocean is endless and unpredictable and potentially dangerous.  I think here at FPC we like to swim in the ocean but then periodically jump in the pool to wash off.  It certainly feels like we are quite a few miles out to sea right now as I am closed into my office with plastic over my door preventing me from getting in and out.  The worst part of it for me is that it prevents other people from getting in.  I have always had an open-door policy so this flies directly in the face of my principles.  But we persevere and know that over a very short period of time this too shall pass and we will be so pleased with what is before us.

            Also, at Presbytery we were given the image of a barn that had long passed its time and was structurally deficient.  A group of architects came together and did something that looked like this: barn picture.  I have to say that it looks really cool, but…sometimes things get to the point where they just need to be torn down and something else built in its place.  A real danger for churches is that they are so focused on what they had and what they were that they want to maintain at all costs that which was while potentially sacrificing that which is, or that which could be.  We were able to salvage the barn by cutting a slice through it.  And now we have a building that is no longer a barn and serves no practical purpose except it is nice to look at.  Yeah, churches can do that, pour money and energy and resources into things that don’t really serve the purpose of advancing the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

            So, what does advancing the Gospel of Jesus Christ look like?  Right now, it looks like tons of drywall dust and sounds of sawzalls going full bore, and Tina Turner blasting in the hallways.  Sounds appealing doesn’t it?  Come and join us on Sunday!  Speaking of Sunday here is what you can expect.  We are sooo pleased to be able to offer all of our entry ways into the building available for all people.  So, just comes as you normally do on Sunday.  Once you get here you will be able to get to the sanctuary only through the hallway past Mary’s office.  The corridor leading to the sanctuary past the choir room will be blocked off.

            The primary bathrooms are a shell right now, but we will have the bathrooms next to the choir room accessible but you will have to go through the sanctuary to get to them.  Fellowship Hall will be untouched and so there are bathrooms there and we can travel from the sanctuary to fellowship hall but everyone has to come out the back door of the sanctuary.  That is great for me because it means that I will be able to see all of you as you leave the sanctuary, unless you cut through the courtyard. 

            Whew, that is a lot.  Currently we are encouraging people if they have to come into the office to only use the door on South Decatur which is opened throughout the day.  Do you know what we found when we were dismantling the old?  It looks like members of the church signed the beams and the studs that were used to create the then new structure in 1988.  It was fun to see the names of people who were members back then and are still around today, some still leading the church. 

            So here we are, in the ocean, trusting that God will lead us through.  We may not end up on dry land, God may not want us on dry land, but we will be safe in His arms as we are led to where He wants us to be.  God is not tame, but God is good.  Feel free to watch this video to be reminded of how God desires us to not stay in the pool our whole lives.

Your servant in Christ,

Pastor Bob

HAPPENING IN THE LIFE OF FPC…

            Bible Study this evening:  Join us this evening for Bible Study at 6pm.  You can join us here:  Youtube

Being in the presence:  Join us for a time of prayer and being in the presence of our Savior Jesus Christ on Saturday June 10 at 10am in Fellowship Hall.  This will be led by Carole Turano.

Day of Renewal and Baptism:  Join us on June 11 right after the second service at approx. 12:15 pm at the Hess pond, 125 Sides Mill Road, Strasburg, for a time of renewal and baptism. There will be a light lunch served as well.

Pentecost Sunday – Join us in celebrating the birthday of the Christian Church on Pentecost, May 28 by wearing red.  At both services we will experience the presence of the Holy Spirit in a way that God will be present in a palpable way.

            Memorial Day Float and picnic – Monday, May 29  Once again, FPC will have a float in the Strasburg Memorial Day parade.  We would love for you to join us as we walk along Main Street and represent the church.  You can meet us at the corner of Clearview and Susan avenue at 8:30am.  Afterward, there will be a service followed by our annual hot dog festivities.  Come and be a part of all the events!

            Tour the Holy Land:  An organizational meeting on June 10 at 1pm in room 3/4 will be held for all those who might be interested in traveling to Israel in 2024.  Tentative dates for the trip are March 14-23.  Come and find out more, such as sites we’ll be seeing, trip cost, and many other bits of information.  Join us!

            Water Street:  First Presbyterian has formed a team of folks who expressed an interest in serving meals at the Water Street Rescue Mission.  So far the team has served breakfast, lunch and dinner on a number of occasions since March.  We would like to expand the size of our team to anyone interested in serving meals to those in need from our local community.  By volunteering you are not committed to serving on specific dates and times but rather you could volunteer on dates and times that fit with your schedule.  While we feel serving on a regular basis is great way to serve the Lord, we understand time constraints and have set up our team to serve when it is convenient to them  If you would like to learn more about our Water Street Rescue Team’s efforts please reach out to either Terry (717-606-6907) or Jo Ann Sweigart  (717-672-1427) to learn more.

            Worship on June 25:  No streaming of worship services on Sunday, June 25.  That Sunday we will be having missionaries speaking who are serving in very sensitive areas of the world for the Christian faith.

We have a new website!!:  Check out the new website at www.straspres.org. 

Attachments area

Preview YouTube video He is not a tame Lion

He is not a tame Lion

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e-news for May 19, 2023

Dear FPC family and friends,

            The walls are getting bare, the wood has been dropped off and we are in the final stages of preparing for the construction to come.  I was told that I need to inform you that if there is a wood or plastic barrier that is up, please do not go into that area.  I know, we all want to know what things are going to look like as they are happening, but if you could quell that urge for a moment that would be great.  There is nothing like construction that raises questions and inquiring minds want to know.

            Remember when Jesus told his disciples that if they wanted to follow him then they would never know from evening to evening where they would lay their heads?  Jesus and his disciples never had to consider what a ministry would look like with facilities to repair and grounds to oversee.  When we were working in Moscow we did not own our own church building, we met in an Anglican Church, which was limiting but also incredibly freeing.

            The freedom came in knowing that our ministry did not have to take place at a certain location, but we were able to meet and gather and do ministry all over the city.  It was so incredibly freeing, and it was also so incredibly successful.  Imagine being a part of a church that didn’t actually have a church where you could meet but you were forced to meet in homes, or in squares, or in parks, or in cemeteries.  Wherever you could find a space where you could worship God and let people know about the love of Christ.  Wherever you could meet to study Scripture and share this journey of faith together. 

            Here in Strasburg so much of what we do as a community is centrally located to our building and to our location.  We ask people to come to us and from there we will minister to them.  What would it look like if we went to people and lived moments in their lives and in their locations?  My guess is that it would completely transform what we mean by church.  I would love to spend a day with you as you drive around completing construction projects at your work.  I would love to spend the day in your fields as you get it ready for another harvest.  I would love to spend the day with you as you go to your various doctor’s appointments. 

            What if we had a community that looked forward to just spending time with each other throughout the day and completely shared each other’s joys and sorrows?  That is what Jesus and his disciples did together.  The freedom that comes with not being tied down to anything is unparalleled, but it also comes with its own challenges.  There are times when you want to be able to worship God in a way that is exhilarating and full of majesty and glory.  It is hard to carry an organ around with you as you go from house to house.  A guitar is nice, but not the same. 

            As we continue to remodel our campus and make it a place that is as inviting as possible for all people from all walks of life, let’s not pretend that the only place to do ministry is in this building, or that people have to come to us in order to hear the Gospel.  I hope that we have a chance over this summer to reflect upon our connections in the church and to whom we are most closely tied.  Take some special effort to reach out to them and pray for them and let them know that you would like to spend more time with them. 

            This Sunday we will hear that where our treasure is, there our heart will be also.  I pray that our treasure would be located in the relationships that we build in the Lord and with each other.  They will last for eternity.

Your servant in Christ,

Pastor Bob

HAPPENING IN THE LIFE OF FPC…

Being in the presence:  Join us for a time of prayer and being in the presence of our Savior Jesus Christ on Saturday June 10 at 10am in Fellowship Hall.  This will be led by Carole Turano.

Day of Renewal and Baptism:  Join us on June 11 right after the second service at approx. 12:15 pm at the Hess pond, 125 Sides Mill Road, Strasburg, for a time of renewal and baptism. There will be a light lunch served as well.

Pentecost Sunday – Join us in celebrating the birthday of the Christian Church on Pentecost, May 28 by wearing red.  At both services we will experience the presence of the Holy Spirit in a way that God will be present in a palpable way.

            Memorial Day Float and picnic – Monday, May 29  Once again, FPC will have a float in the Strasburg Memorial Day parade.  We would love for you to join us as we walk along Main Street and represent the church.  You can meet us at the corner of Clearview and Susan avenue at 8:30am.  Afterward, there will be a service followed by our annual hot dog festivities.  Come and be a part of all the events!

            Tour the Holy Land:  An organizational meeting on June 10 at 1pm in room 3/4 will be held for all those who might be interested in traveling to Israel in 2024.  Tentative dates for the trip are March 14-23.  Come and find out more, such as sites we’ll be seeing, trip cost, and many other bits of information.  Join us!

            Water Street:  First Presbyterian has formed a team of folks who expressed an interest in serving meals at the Water Street Rescue Mission.  So far the team has served breakfast, lunch and dinner on a number of occasions since March.  We would like to expand the size of our team to anyone interested in serving meals to those in need from our local community.  By volunteering you are not committed to serving on specific dates and times but rather you could volunteer on dates and times that fit with your schedule.  While we feel serving on a regular basis is great way to serve the Lord, we understand time constraints and have set up our team to serve when it is convenient to them  If you would like to learn more about our Water Street Rescue Team’s efforts please reach out to either Terry (717-606-6907) or Jo Ann Sweigart  (717-672-1427) to learn more.

            Worship on June 25:  No streaming of worship services on Sunday, June 25.  That Sunday we will be having missionaries speaking who are serving in very sensitive areas of the world for the Christian faith.

            Bible Study on Thursday evenings at 6:  Join us for Bible Study every Thursday evening at 6pm here: Youtube

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e-news for May 10, 2023

Dear FPC family and friends,

            So, have you spent more time in prayer this week?  On Sunday I challenged all of us to identify a time in your day, or more than one time, when you are able to put yourself in the presence of God by going to God in prayer.  I hope you were able to do that on a consistent basis this week.  If not, then let this serve as a reminder.  The church draws its direction and guidance only when we go to God in prayer individually and corporately.  We have to find the time to pray outside of Sunday and make it a part of our relationship with God on a daily basis.

            There is an important weekend that is coming up in June to which I wanted to call your attention.  On June 10^th we will have an opportunity to once again be in the presence as we gather to pray and read Scripture at 10am.  With Carole Turano’s leadership I have found it to be a time that absolutely goes by without me realizing how much time I have spent in the presence of our Savior Jesus Christ.  Then on June 11^th we will be having a time of renewal, rededication, and baptism.  We have a couple of people who have expressed a desire to be baptized and others who have expressed a desire to be rededicated.  We will gather at the Hess pond at 125 Sides Mill Road right after the second service, so around 12:15, and have an opportunity to be immersed in this ancient Christian tradition of being washed clean of our sins.  Mark your calendars for June 10, being in the presence, and June 11, a time of rededication and baptism.

            Even if you aren’t thinking you want to be rededicated or baptized come on out and join us anyway for a time of fellowship and rejoicing in our renewed devotion to Christ.  On Sunday I mentioned that without a purposeful relationship with Jesus, without us doing something that puts us in a position to acknowledge in a meaningful way the presence of Christ in our lives, then our faith is dead.  Without prayer there is no relationship with God.  I hope that doesn’t sound too harsh.  I like to be the good guy, but there really is no other way around that statement.  We need to be in relationship with God through prayer, period.

            There isn’t much of an appropriate segue from that statement to any other, so I’m going to go in a very different direction.  So much of what we do in the life of the church is about building a relationship between God and with each other.  One way that we stay in touch with each other is through information that we receive and information that we exchange.  Did you know that today we just launched our new website?  Check it out at www.strapres.org.  There was a team of people who headed up that work.  I do need to give a shout out to Mark Feiler, Heather Schnader, Ray Reeder, Dale Groff, and Alicia Eltman pitched in as well.  It has been nearly a two year process but it certainly has paid off.  It looks great and it should be easier for folks to find things on this new site. 

            My prayer for all of us is that we deliberately and purposefully look for a time to spend in prayer on a daily basis and that this will all draw us closer to God and to each other.

Your servant in Christ,

Pastor Bob

HAPPENING IN THE LIFE OF FPC…

Bible Study on Thursday at 6pm:  Join us on Thursday May 11, and every Thursday, at 6pm here to study Scripture together – Youtube

Wear Red on Pentecost Sunday:  Join us in celebrating the birthday of the Christian Church on Pentecost, May 28 by wearing red.  At both services we will experience the presence of the Holy Spirit in a way that God will be present in a palpable way. 

Day of renewal and baptism:  Join us on June 11 right after the second service, so around 12:15 at the Hess Pond for a time of renewal and baptism.  There will be a light lunch served as well.

Being in the presence:  On June 10 at 10am in Fellowship Hall we will gather for a time to be in the presence of God led by Carole Turano.  You are welcome to invite friends and family members to come and join as well.

Tour the Holy Land:  We will be having an organizational meeting on June 10 at 1pm in room 3/4 for all those who might be interested in traveling to Israel in 2024.  The tentative dates for the trip are March 14-23.  Come and find out more like what we will be seeing, the cost of the trip, and many other bits of information.  Join us!

Memorial Day Float and picnic on May 29  Ÿ  Once again FPC will have a float in the Strasburg Memorial Day parade.  We would love for you to join us as we walk along Main Street and represent the church.  Afterward there will be a service followed by our annual hot dog festivities.  Come and be a part of all the events!

No streaming of our church service on June 25…

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