Posted on 07 Mar 2011 . 1 comment
By Rev. Kevin Porter
When I first came to FPCG in 1994, the name of the newsletter was Crossroads News. The name was taken from our congregation’s motto, “The Church at the Crossroads,” emphasizing our place prominently at the center of Germantown, both physically and as a community partner working for the neighborhood’s well being.
As Windows takes on a new look this month, we’re launching a new regular feature in which I’ll highlight the ways in which FPCG is indeed “The Church at the Crossroads” now more than ever through the community partnerships in which we’re actively involved.
Although I’ll be focusing on the ways in which we’re an “at the table” institutionally, I am also interested in letting readers know how our members are bearing witness to their Christian faith through their work in the community.
If you have a story to share, please let me know so that others will see how the body of Christ is at work transforming Germantown.
Posted on 28 Feb 2011
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Reflections by Rev. Nancy Muth
I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? Isaiah 43:19a
Dear Friends,
Change is not always easy or a welcome thing, but it is often necessary. Some unfortunate but necessary changes have been made at The First Presbyterian Church in Germantown due to our current financial situation.
Our church has been blessed by having an endowment that was made possible from gifts given by former members and friends of the congregation decades ago. The monies were wisely invested and grew over time. For more than ten years now we have been relying heavily upon the endowment to fund our church’s ministry and mission. In fact, we have been relying so heavily on these monies that the endowment has been decreasing in value.
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Posted on 21 Feb 2011 . 1 comment
1816: Rev. Bourne Serves as an Anti-Slavery Witness
Black History Month is the appropriate time to recall this church’s first protest against slavery; it was expressed in the call to the ministry and the support of one of the first Presbyterian ministers to denounce “the soul damning sin” of human bondage.
The February 27, 1816 entry into the minutes of the vestry [today’s Session and Deacons] of “The English Speaking Church in Germantown” [today’s FPCG] noted that ”Presbytery being informed that a Mr. Bourne is preaching in the congregation in Germantown without being introduced to the vacancy by a Committee appointed for the purpose of introducing strangers to our vacancies, and that the said Mr. Bourne has been deposed from the office of the Gospel ministry by the Presbytery to which he formerly belonged, it was on motion resolved that the preaching of said Mr. Bourne in the Germantown congregation is deemed irregular.”
In 1815, 195 years ago, this church called the Rev. George Bourne of South River, Virginia, to the pulpit. Before his arrival in Germantown, however, he was expelled from the ministry by the Presbytery of Lexington, Virginia, for his denunciation of slavery.
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Posted on 14 Feb 2011 . 1 comment
There are many free services offered by the Germantown Avenue Crisis Ministry.
> Did you know that you can file your federal and state tax returns for free?
> Do you know that qualified PA residents can get help with their heating and utility costs?
Free Filing Federal and State Tax Returns
If your household income is less than $60,000 you can come to GACM to file a federal and state tax return for free!
In today’s economy more people are looking to squeeze every dollar out of their tax returns. Unfortunately, however, they find themselves in an environment in which tax filing can be confusing and difficult. What’s worse, all too many tax filing services require fees and many offer Refund Anticipation Loans (RALs) which strip millions in fees each year from the earned-income tax credits paid to working parents ultimately reducing the amount of their tax return.
Let Germantown Ave Crisis Ministry (GACM) help you get the most out of everything you do. Using The Benefit Bank (TBB), a counselor assisted, web-based program that connects low-to-moderate income wage earners with access to tax credits and public benefits GACM can file your Federal and State tax returns for free! E File and get your refund in as little as 7 days. Contact GACM, 215-843-2340 to schedule an appointment or walk in for service any Friday between 1 and 4pm. Is Sunday better? Contact Eileen Jones to schedule an appointment following worship.
Click here to learn about LIHEAP and how it can help you pay your heating bills
Posted on 07 Feb 2011 . 10 comments
Feb 13th: Gathering to End Gun Violence
Blessed are the peacemakers for they will be called children of God. -Matthew 5:9
I write this just days following the horrific and senseless shooting of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and nineteen other people in Tucson, Arizona. I am numb! It seems that we are hearing about these types of terrible tragedies more and more frequently. What can we do?
As people of faith, we condemn violence and hatred. We grieve with the families of those whose lives are lost. We pray for victims who have been wounded. We sympathize with the family of the perpetrator and even try to understand why someone would take such violent action against another.
As people of faith we also need to do more. Recently a new organization has been founded in our northwest section of Philadelphia. The First Presbyterian Church in Germantown is one of among various faith organizations who have come together to form Neighborhood Partners To End Gun Violence. The purpose of this group is not about eliminating guns or even seeking legislative action but about reducing gun violence.
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