Posted on 26 Sep 2011
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Where do you fit at FPCG?
Many schools now teach students the value of giving back by requiring them to spend so many hours in community service.
What a wonderful concept! It teaches not simply the importance of giving or sharing of oneself but also of volunteering. Unfortunately too many young people and adults are focused on satisfying their own needs. They guard their time and their resources for things that will bring them pleasure or satisfaction.
Imagine what our communities would be like if more people were willing to give of themselves, sharing their skills and gifts.
Even more, imagine what our church would be like if more of our members, like YOU, would give of yourselves, sharing your skills and gifts.
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Posted on 12 Sep 2011
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Freedom School 2011
In a summer seemingly dominated by a roller-coasting stock market, urban flash mobs, military helicopter crashes and excessive heat waves, one true oasis sheltered fifty children for six weeks in the Children’s Defense Fund Freedom School held at First Church for the second year.
With a mission “to ensure every child a Healthy Start, Safe Start, Fair Start, and Moral Start in life,” the Freedom School “depends upon the help of caring families and communities” working with carefully chosen teachers, trained college students who are called Servant Leaders.
Among the leaders was First Church’s Valient Solomon, a second-semester sophomore at Virginia Union University in Richmond. Note: this was intended to be a straight-forward news article about the school, but after several at-tempts to shape the article into an objective, balanced piece, personal feelings kept intruding, so this is an observation from a life-long educator who visited the school once a week during the session.
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Posted on 05 Sep 2011
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We invite you to participate in Germantown Clergy Initiative’s (GCI) Germantown High School Annual First Day of School Prayer Vigil
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 6
7:00 – 8:00 A.M.
On the lawn of Germantown High School (GERMANTOWN AVE. AND HIGH STREET)
Join us as we pray together for:
- Students, parents, teachers and administrators.
- Peace and safety
- The District and SRC
- Funding
- The programs of GCI and other community partners
- Greater church and community involvement
Please contact Reverend Kevin Porter for more information at 215- 518-1675
Posted on 29 Aug 2011
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Thoughts on Grief, Remembering, and Celebrating New Life
Dear Friends,
It has been a long, difficult and yet rewarding journey for me the last several months. Thank you for your patience and your support.
In April my father was suddenly hospitalized. He had pulled a muscle in reaching for some-thing and then was in so much pain he could not do anything but stay in bed. He was not able to prepare food and so did not eat which set his diabetes into a flurry. Because he lived in a retirement community someone came and checked on him and found him on the floor by his bed. He was immediately transported to the hospital, never to return to his apartment. After a week’s stay in the hospital, Dad was transferred to a nursing facility associated with his retirement community.
He spent 99 days there with his health continuing to deteriorate. His mind was quite sharp up until his last few days. Dad died on July 19, exactly seven weeks before his 93rd birthday.
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Posted on 08 Aug 2011
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This has been a great summer for our Freedom School Scholars!
Here are a few snapshots from this year’s program. Click here to see more photos!
