MAY 2025

We’re spoiled here in Eastern North Carolina. Truly spoiled. I’m not sure that there is a single month when there isn’t something blooming or changing on the First Presbyterian Church, New Bern campus. From camellias in the winter to the fall leaves, there is always something awe-inspiring to see.

The downside to this beauty is that sometimes we get so used to it we fail to notice it. I don’t think I ever appreciated the year-round flowers of my Charleston, South Carolina home as much as when I was experiencing my first West Virginia winter. During the weeks when the snow was grey on the ground and we were many weeks away from the first green shoots of spring.

A few months ago I was working in my office, head buried in emails, when Facilities Manager Tim Elliott asked if I had a moment to step outside and see something. We walked over to the Memorial Garden and I looked around for the issue, only there wasn’t one – he wanted me to take a moment to appreciate the beauty that was all around. 

Tuesday, April 22 was Earth Day, the first Earth Day since First Presbyterian Church became an official Earth Care Congregation in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). (You can learn about it HERE or ask a member of the Outreach Commission). In honor of this day our videographer extraordinaire Paul Scott Schernitzki made a video with the cherry trees that inhabit space between the Sanctuary and Session House. He waits for these to bloom every year and is like a kid in a candy store when they do. We posted this video on social media with the text from Luke 12:27 “Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these.”

You can see the video below and find it on our YouTube channel as well.

I hope you enjoy the video and find your way to a place of beauty in the coming days for that more profound Alleluia creation can inspire. It’s more than stopping to smell the roses, it is a reminder of the power of beauty in our lives to propel us to the mountaintop and which can sustain us when we are in the wilderness. Beauty is not an extravagance, it is a gift from God we are intended to enjoy and for which we are called to care. And, as God said in Genesis, it is good.

Peace to you in this Easter season,

PAT KERR ROWLETT

♫ Music Notes

April was a big month for our FPC Music Department! 

We began with Spring Ring on April 6, which was a big success! 

Choir members sang for the Presbyterian Women meeting on April 12. 

On Palm Sunday, a large procession of church members of all ages, waved palms and sang “All Glory, Laud, and Honor”. 

An ensemble of adult choir members sang for the Maundy Thursday event in the Session House. 

The full Daybreak and Sanctuary Choirs contributed beautiful music for both the Good Friday (accompanied by cello) and Easter services (accompanied by two trumpets). Daniel Sansone amazed us with the Widor Toccata as the postlude on Easter Sunday. What joy!

May 4 will be Children’s Sabbath. Children will sing and lead worship. 

On May 16, my friends and I will give a concert at 7:00 pm in the Sanctuary. It’s a retrospective on my life as a musician, from early years to now. I hope you will join us.

MAY 16

Vocal Concert

As we look toward Fall 2025, plans are well under way for our amazing Music Ministry and in particular our awesome handbell choir…

your participation can make it even more awesome!

We are excited to announce that we are welcoming new members to join the handbell choir when we begin a new season in September.

Basic music reading skills and rhythm skills are preferred, but we will teach anyone who has in interest in learning.

This is a wonderful opportunity to become a part of our Music Ministry and please feel free to reach out with your interest, or any questions you may have: daniel@firstpresnb.org or (252) 637-3270.

Together we can make a joyful noise unto the Lord!

Daniel J. Sansone

Associate Director of Music and Organist

Photo by Lee Rouse

MAY 17

Global Citizenship Music Festival

The Global Citizenship Music Festival will be held at Union Point Park on Saturday May 17, 2025, from 3:00-8:00 PM. This event is free to the public and made possible through the generosity of our Sponsors. If you are interested in becoming a Sponsor, please use the link below.

MAY 14

Fellowship Dinner

Join us on Wednesday, May 14 at 5:30 pm for our May Fellowship Dinner!

We'll have hamburgers, hot dogs, and all the traditional sides and fixings.

All are welcome but please RSVP so we know how many to plan for.

MAY 4

Children's Sabbath

Make plans to join us as we celebrate children on Sunday, May 4.

We will have guest music from the Children's Choir and Preschool Choir.

Our children will lead worship at both services. 

All are invited to join us for a BBQ chicken picnic lunch after 11:00am worship. Rain or Shine!! If the forecast continues to look dreary, we will be moving inside to the JMS Center. Please RSVP below. Donations for the meal welcome. 

There will be bounce houses and snow cones for the kids!

WENDY MOELLER

William Lee Hawkins Library

As I write this we are in that strange period of the church year between Good Friday and Easter Sunday when we anticipate the transition from the oppressive sorrow of the last days of Holy Week to the joy of Easter Sunday morning. What does Easter joy look like for our Lord’s people? There are many answers to that question, but one of them can be found in the word “humor” which coincidentally/providentially happens to be my Star Word for 2025. That assignment has given me many opportunities this year to consider the role of “humor” in our otherwise serious, and sometimes somber, faith lives. 

I am recalling now a conversation I had at the April church supper with a friend, another lover of Father James Martin and his books, of which we currently have JESUS - A PILGRIMAGE (232 MAR) and LEARNING TO PRAY - A GUIDE FOR EVERYONE (248.32 MAR). Martin is one humorous Christian! My friend at the church supper told me he had always wondered if Jesus had a sense of humor, and came to clearly see that he did after reading Martin’s book BETWEEN HEAVEN and MIRTH (which, unfortunately, we do not yet have in the Hawkins Library). What role does humor play in the Gospel? 

As a reviewer of one of this month’s highlighted books posits, here is a list of humor’s power:

• Keep the saints awake. 
• Refocus and energize a congregation. 
• Puncture human pompousness and pride. 
• Combat hypocrisy. 
• Expose ignorance and bad decisions.
• Enable hearers to identify with the speaker. 
• Diffuse explosive situations. 
• Help resolve conflicts. 
• Build bridges of understanding and communication. 
• Release us from the crushing seriousness of life.
• Increase concentration and listening capacity. 
• Heal broken spirits. 
• Reduce fears. 
• Open us up to hear and accept new ideas. 
• Capture the attention of children and youth.

I would also add - serve as a winsome attraction to the Gospel for nonbelievers.

In that spirit, check out one of the HUMOR books recommended for the month of May. All will be on the big table in the second floor William L Hawkins Library for your perusal.

And when someone asks you what you are smiling about, maybe you can share a tidbit from one of those books with them!

The Humor of Christ by Elton Trueblood, 232.9 TRU

Snickers from the Front Pew by Todd Hafer, 817 HAF

Amusing Grace - The Funny Side of Faith by Jonny Hawkins, 242 HAW

How to Survive Being a Presbyterian: A Merry Manual Celebrating the Funny Foibles of the Frozen Chosen (had to give you the whole title on that one 😉) by Bob Read, 285 PRE

Devotions to Leave You Smiling by Brian Bauknight, 242 BAU

The Leaven of Laughter for Lent and Easter by James Atwood, 263.9 ATW

CATHERINE CAMPBELL

Children, Youth, and Families

If you are interested in a detailed calendar of upcoming Children, Youth, and Family Ministry opportunities, or volunteering, please reach out to

Catherine Campbell, Director of Children, Youth, and Family Ministry: catherine@firstpresnb.org

APRIL UPDATE

Backpack Blessings

Our final Backpack Blessing Build for this spring took place April 7th, 8th, and 9th. As always, we packed A LOT of weekend snack bags, about 5,500 to last us through early June. 

Thought you all might like to see where we begin the process....getting ready for most of our volunteers to pack the snack bags. This months photos are a few of us doing the necessary 'prep' for the Build to actually take place. Priscilla is pointing out the large bins that get distributed to the schools. She and a few others brought in over 250 of these bins from an outside storage facility. Cory can be seen pulling the boxes (after counting out the right number!) from the shipping pallets and stocking the right count of boxes for an item on one of the tables in each of the three circles. Ann is unpacking those boxes and breaking down the containers...and this is all PRIOR to all the rest of the volunteers who will show up over the next three days to 'build' the weekend snack packs.

And, as she always does, our delivery fairy and Board Member for Backpack Blessing, Jane Dail, will magically transport the right number of filled bins to our assigned school to augment weekend food supplies for those who have food insecurity in their homes.

Our summer box builds will start up later on in June so stay alert for those sign ups!

But for this build, many thanks to Priscilla Van Horn (who signed up for two separate slots! As did Patti Fleming!), Cory Hunter, Kirsten Sonstegard, Ann Thornton, Taylor McClellan, Pam Gaskill, Karen Reed, Martha Strickland, Gwen Lessard, Sheila Orth, Robert Little, and Nancy McAden. And thanks, as always, to our supportive staff as well as our congregation, who remain attentive and committed to this wonderful ministry!

First Presbyterian Church, New Bern Staff

Anna Pinckney Straight - Pastor

anna@firstpresnb.org

Patrick Ryan - Associate Pastor

patrick@firstpresnb.org

Catherine Campbell - Director of Children, Youth, and Family Ministry

catherine@firstpresnb.org

Pat K. Rowlett - Director of Music

pat@firstpresnb.org

Daniel Sansone - Associate Director of Music & Organist

daniel@firstpresnb.org

Susan Mabie

Director of Resurrection Singers

Tim Elliott - Facilities Manager

property@firstpresnb.org

Dawn Inglis - Office Administrator

church@firstpresnb.org

Kerri Quick - Preschool Director

kerri@firstpresnb.org

Summer Hough - Financial Administrator

summer@firstpresnb.org

Communications

comms@firstpresnb.org

Louis Foye - Sexton

Richard Colflesh - Maintenance

property@firstpresnb.org

Stephen Ministry

stephenministry@firstpresnb.org

pastoroncall@firstpresnb.org

After office hours or on the weekend,

a good way to reach a pastor is to

email the pastor on call.

Share your News!

Have an article for the newsletter? Want an announcement placed in the bulletin? See something we should post on social media? Have photos of a church event to share? Email comms@firstpresnb.org to get your news shared!

Bulletin Deadline:

Mondays at 12:00 pm

Weekly Word Deadline:

Mondays at 12:00 pm

First Edition/Monthly Newsletter Deadline:

the 20th of the month at 12:00 pm

Physical Address

400 New Street,

New Bern, NC 28560

Mailing Address

PO Box 1069,

New Bern, NC 28563

Church Office Hours

Monday - Thursday

9:00 am - 3:00 pm

Friday

9:00 am - 1:00 pm

Contact Information

252.637.3270

church@firstpresnb.org

www.firstpresnb.org