Posted on 02 May 2011
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Reflections by Rev. Nancy Muth
“I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me” Matthew 25:35-36
As many of you know for almost half of my ministry I have worked with congregations in the area of financial stewardship. The first art of the conversation I would have with church leaders was not about money but the purpose or mission of the church. What a wonderful question for all congregations: What is the purpose or mission of the church?
In his Great Commission Jesus taught us hat the first thing we must do is to “Go out!” We are to look beyond ourselves to others. Jesus also tells us that we are “to love your neighbor as yourself.”
Throughout the Gospels and also in the Old Testament we find references about how important it is that we care or the other. And so it is that for Christian congregations the ministry of mission and outreach is so important. We are not fulfilling out Christian mandate unless we are reaching out beyond ourselves to others… to those who would otherwise be ignored and forgotten.
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Posted on 11 Apr 2011
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Join Us! Sundays in the Finney Room at 11:30
At FPCG, Lent has traditionally been marked by provocative series intended to stretch participants’ understanding of the Christian faith in our lives and culture so that we might experience the resurrection power of Christ more fully in our individual and communal lives.
This year, Rev. Porter will be leading a study of a report and recommendations unanimously adopted by our denomination, the PC(USA), at the last General Assembly entitled “Gun Violence, Gospel Values: Mobilizing in Response to God’s Call” The resolution calls congregations to participate in grassroots faith-based activism to prevent the deaths of so many who die or are injured by guns each year.
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Posted on 04 Apr 2011
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Dear Friends,
We are in the midst of the holiest season of our Christian faith as we have been walking our Lenten journey, soon to enter Holy Week, following our Lord to the cross and then to the empty tomb as we rejoice and praise God for Christ’s glorious resurrection.
It is important for us during these days of Lent to take time to:
+ reflect on our lifestyles
+ reflect on our priorities
+ reflect on our faith in Jesus Christ
+ and reflect on how we are living out our faith.
Can someone tell that you are a Christian from the way you live your life? Some people find it helpful to give something up for Lent. I’m not sure if they do it as a discipline or as an excuse to temporarily suspend a bad habit or for both reasons. I am not someone who follows this practice as I don’t find it helpful in bringing me closer to God. However, the positive aspect I find when people give something up for the Lenten season is that they realize that Lent is a time to live life differently.
A more meaningful Lenten practice that I recommend is to carve out some time during the day when you can spend time with a Bible in your hand and maybe even a devotional.
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Posted on 28 Mar 2011 . 2 comments
Although it started with just a few individuals taking an hour before or after school to provide a “Safe Corridor” to and from Germantown High School (GHS), the Germantown Clergy Initiative (GCI) has become an influential voice for reform in the school and the district as a whole.
The latest example of the respect the organization has garnered occurred in February as Rev. Porter and others from GCI were involved in the principal selection of the school as it makes the transition to becoming a Promise Academy.
Under this new designation, GHS will have the opportunity to have greater control of faculty selection and more resources available to it for the academic enrichment and career-readiness of its students. GCI can use your gifts in everything from mentoring, advocacy,
fund-raising, or even just being a friendly adult presence on the corner.
Contact Rev. Porter to see how you can make a positive difference in Germantown’s present and future through GCI.
Posted on 14 Mar 2011
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Revealing Deeper Layers of Meaning in our Building
If you go to the Richard Smith Memorial Gateway in Fairmount Park, you will find two curving, neobaroque arches adorned with thirteen individual portrait sculptures, two eagles astride globes, and architectural reliefs of eight allegorical figures.
James Hamilton Windrim (1840-1919) is the subject of one of the busts; he faces forward and looks off to the left. Windrim was the architect for this church. He also designed Philadelphia’s Masonic Temple, the Girard Building at 12th and Market Streets and several of the buildings on the campus of Girard College; he had been a member of the first graduating class of the college.
Windrim’s design for First Presbyterian was Gothic Revival of a length of 137 feet and an extreme width of 88 feet. The apex of the roof rises 66 feet from the ground, and the spire is 150 feet. Alterations to the building over the years, however, have changed the dimensions of the structure but not the intent of it as a house of God and a place to worship God “in the beauty of holiness.”
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