We recently received an update from Solomon at our sister church in Ethiopia. Here is the letter he sent. As you may know, September marks the start of the new year in Ethiopia, as well as the opening of schools for student registration. We took this opportunity to...
Instead of worrying, think about these things
What’s on your mind these days? If you’re like me, there’s probably at least one thing that has you worried, at least a little. But over and over in the Bible, we get the message, though, that we should not fear, that we should not worry. But how? In Mindscape: What...
Picture yourself 1 year from now. Will you be transformed?
I’ve been thinking about expectations and particularly about the kind of expectations we should have of one another in the Church. What sparked this line of thought was a video we watched as part of our officer training where we heard about a man who had been active...
New Sunday school classes start in October
If you've been wanting to be part of our Sunday school groups, Oct. 6 would be a great day to get started. That day, we have two new classes, one on how to better engage in politics and another on the defining characteristic of grace, that will begin a seven-week...
A place to love to learn and learn to love
Last week, while moving my son into college, the chaplain described Grove City College as a place “to love to learn and learn to love.” That line really grabbed me because that is the kind of place I want First Pres to be. I want us to be a place where people who...
Know Jesus, Grow in faith, go and tell
We want to know God’s word. We want to grow in faith. But there’s a purpose behind it: to go and tell others about the Good News. We’re rolling out and starting up a bunch of ways for you to know the Word and grow, and we hope you’ll also use the opportunity to go and...
Changing perspectives on God’s global work
First Pres recently hosted Perspectives, which brought together Christ-followers from a number of local churches to learn about what God is doing around the world and how we can join that work. We asked one of the participants, Laura Atkins, about the experience. What...
Inspiring biographies to help us persevere in faith
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of...
How a First Pres couple is serving Cubans
Covenant Partners Patrick and Amy Werner continue their work serving the people of Cuba, with their latest trip focusing on helping a cancer ministry and encouraging pastors. Here are some highlights of what they did while in Cuba. (They plan to share more details at...
Expressing your faith: 3 easy ways to talk about God every day
One of the great lies is that a personal faith needs to be a private faith. But that’s not true. A personal faith should be very expressed. If you call Jesus, Lord, you know what he commanded you to do? Talk about him everywhere, all the time and all over the place....