FPC connects
The Chimes Newsletter of First Presbyterian Church of Atlanta
SUNDAY Schedule Sunday, August 19 • Prayer breakfast for Homeless persons - 6:30 am, Fifield Hall • Communion Service 8:15 am, Winship Chapel
• The Mustard Seed Bookstore - 9:00 am - 12:00 pm • Sunday School for all ages - 9:00 am • Worship Service - 10:15 am, Sanctuary • Fellowship Hour - 11:15 pm, Fifield Hall
Sunday, August 26 • Prayer breakfast for Homeless persons - 6:30 am, Fifield Hall • Communion Service 8:15 am, Winship Chapel
• Sunday School for all ages - 9:00 am • Worship Service - 10:15 am, Sanctuary • Fellowship Hour - 11:15 pm, Fifield Hall
Summer Preaching Schedule May 27th - Rev. Craig Goodrich June 3rd - Dr. Ronald Peters June 10th - Dr. George Wirth June 17th - Rev. Craig Goodrich June 24th - Rev. Lindsay Armstrong July 1st - Rev. Charles Black July 8th - Rev. Craig Goodrich July 15th - Ms. Rebekah LeMon July 22nd - Mr. Joel Moore July 29th - Dr. George Wirth August 5th - Rev. Craig Goodrich August 12th - Dr. George Wirth August 19th - Mrs. Allison Per-Lee August 26th - Rev. Kevin Knab September 2nd - Rev. Chris Moore-Keish
August 19 & 26, 2012 Christ at the Center
H
ow would you answer God if He came to you and ask, “What can I give you? Ask!” I don’t know about you, but I think that’s a difficult question. My first inclination might be to ask for health or August 19 - Allison Per-Lee to preach wealth or happiness, but I hope I would not lean into my first inclination. The question remains, what would you ask God for? In our Lectionary passage for Sunday, August 19, God comes to King Solomon in a dream and asks that very question. Solomon’s answer might surprise you! I encourage you to read I Kings 2:10-12 and 3:3-14 in preparation for worship to discover what Solomon asked for and to see what the Holy Spirit might be saying to you through this Biblical story. These sacred Old Testament texts are filled with layers of truth about the mystery of God’s grace and God’s faithfulness to His people. I believe that if we read Scripture carefully and pay attention, the Holy Spirit will communicate God’s messages for us today! Scripture becomes relevant in our lives when we allow the Spirit of God to speak to us. The challenge is to be attentive to the Spirit, to await God’s revelation, and to be open to the wisdom in God’s Word. I hope you will join us as we glorify God and worship together! Faithfully, Allison Per-Lee
A
group of Y o u n g Adults from First Pres and Hillside Presbyterian church took part in our annual Partnership mission trip to Jamaica. After leading Vacation August 26 - Kevin Knab to preach Bible School each day in Negril, we were fortunate enough to get to spend time on the beach. I love the beach, but I hate the sand that gets everywhere. So I kept my shoes on. And I heard about it the entire trip - how I refused to let my bare feet actually touch the sand. Ephesians 6 explores the metaphor of the ‘Armor of God.’ Piece by piece, from breastplate to sword, the writer instructs us to prepare ourselves to don the ‘armor’ of faith, peace, righteousness, and truth. Shoes are part of the costume. Shoes that ‘will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace.’ But the ‘Armor of God’ is a metaphor. Truth, peace, righteousness, and faith are not physical tools of defense and attack. They are attributes that actually leave us bare physically. They call for us to live a certain way, in opposition to the tendencies of the world. The attributes of the gospel are not made of chainmail, nor are they ironforged. They come from God and flow from faith. So in ‘arming’ ourselves, we actually stand bare. Shoes off, ready to engage the world with truth, righteousness, peace and faith. Kevin Knab