December, 2025

In his upstairs woodworking studio above his garage, Skip Bradley keeps a notepad full of numbers he’s scrawled out in pen. The last number, the only one not crossed out, is 3,279.

The next Christmas ornament Skip completes will be the 3,279th he has spun on the lathe in his two-car garage-turned-woodshop out back. Sand it, glue it, seal it, and finish it. He will count the ornaments he brings into the house, cross out 3,279, and write down a new number. On and on it’s gone like this since he made his first Christmas ornament in 2008.

Skip’s ornament-making started slowly. He recalls making eight that first year. “I asked $10 a piece for them and people thought that was too high,” he said, “so I just started giving them away.”

It was during Advent of 2010 that Skip and his wife, Lou, began giving ornaments to the children at First Presbyterian Church. The Bradleys approached Pastor Bill Hawkins about the possibility of handing them out during the children’s sermon on an Advent Sunday. That first year, there were ten or twelve children who were given an ornament. The rest, as they say, is history.

Last Christmas, Skip and Lou were quite sure that the fifty ornaments they brought would be more than plenty. After each child who came that morning received theirs, there was only one ornament left. “We were scared we were going to run out,” Skip said.

Each ornament takes Skip about twenty minutes to make from start to finish—though not all at once. He can turn one on the lathe in about ten minutes, but there are extra steps. Holes to drill and fill, bottoms to glue, and three coats of finish to spray. When they’re dry, he takes them upstairs, writes his name, “New Bern, North Carolina,” the date, and the number on the bottom. Every single one is signed and numbered like the small work of art it is.

The shapes and designs have changed over the years. “I don’t have a pattern,” Skip said. “I just put a piece of wood on the lathe and start turning. Whatever it looks like, that’s what it comes down to. Numbers 1000 and 1001 might look completely different. I just go by what I see in the wood.”

These days, he works with exotic hardwoods from around the world—Gaboon ebony, maple, African padauk, South American purpleheart—and scraps he finds at a lumber wholesaler in Hubert. “I’ll dig through their bin,” Skip said, “and they’ll have these pieces with a little crack or split in them. They used to sell them for a dollar; now they’re two dollars. But I can cut them up and make something beautiful out of them.” Some ornaments are made from two kinds of wood, others from three or four. No two are the same.

Each ornament has a little bird glued on it. “We used to buy these little bitty birds,” Skip said. “We bought about six hundred one time. But during COVID, some of those suppliers went out of business. Now the birds are bigger than I’d like, but that’s all we can get.” Lou, who has become an expert in online bird sourcing, laughs and adds, “I finally found some on Amazon. They’re still not small enough, but we haven’t been able to find any that are smaller.”

The ornaments themselves are just one part of the process. Each year after Skip finishes them, Lou takes over. She wraps each one in tissue paper, tucks it into a small Christmas bag, and packs them into larger bags for the big Sunday. “That’s my part,” Lou said. “I get everything ready so we can hand them out. We’ve got it down to a system.”

For years, Skip and Lou have given nearly every ornament away. Of the more than 3,000 he’s made, Skip estimates he’s kept just a few dozen.

For many families at First Presbyterian Church, the ornaments have become a cherished part of their Christmas tradition. Some have them hanging on their trees. Others keep them in special boxes and unwrap them carefully each year. “When I tell people to enjoy them,” Skip said, “I tell them they can’t enjoy them any more than I enjoy making them.”

Skip’s been through a lot since that first ornament. In 2023, he lost sight in one eye and had to undergo surgery in Wilmington. “I was worried that was going to put a hurt on my shop work,” he said. “But I got my sight back. That doctor performed a miracle.” After the surgery, Skip gave the surgeon a chalice he’d made with three interlocking wooden rings around its stem. “He asked me if I made it,” Skip said. “I said, yes sir… As far as I know, he’s still got it.”

At 86, Skip says it’s time to slow down and focus on making his ornaments in smaller amounts. “I want to start making them for new babies,” he said. “That’s something I can keep up with. Just a few at a time.”

This Advent, the Bradleys will prepare forty ornaments. They will be delivered to Pastor Catherine, and she will distribute them to the parents of babies born this past year and to the children of new members. She already has a list started, but if you'd like to reach out, you can send her an email.

As Skip spoke, Lou sat beside him and smiled. They’ve been married nearly 63 years. “Last night,” Skip said, grinning, “she told me I was a wonderful man. That’s the first time she’s ever said that.” Lou laughed, “Well, he was being very kind to me. I was exhausted after baking all those butter cookies.” Between them, they make quite the Christmas team—Skip with his ornaments and Lou with her 2,000 butter cookies.

Asked what he hopes people feel when they receive one of his ornaments, Skip paused for a moment. “I hope they feel like we’re friends,” he said. “That’s what it means to me.”

Arts to End Genocide (ATEG) was founded by a New Bern artist with a simple but powerful mission — to use art and community action to help end genocide in Africa.

ATEG brings together artists, college students, and everyday citizens to foster understanding and compassion for the people of Africa — particularly for the youth who have lost hope of a better life. Through sustainable projects that provide food, income, and opportunity, ATEG helps restore dignity and hope to forgotten children and their families.

Our Programs Include:

• Agricultural Training: Teaching best practices to improve crop yields and support sustainable farming.
• Women’s and Children’s Support in Mali: Enhancing the lives of families living in extreme poverty, including those on garbage dumps.
• Education Initiatives: Focusing on small groups of children to strengthen access to quality education and lifelong learning.
• Health Partnerships: Working with Rotary International to expand healthcare access and improve community well-being.
• Shoemaking Workshops: Training adults to make durable shoes for children, protecting them from infections caused by walking barefoot.

Through these efforts, ATEG empowers communities, uplifts lives, and proves that art and compassion can truly change the world.

Coastal Carolina Disaster Resiliency Agency (CCDRA), formerly known as the Craven County Disaster Recovery Alliance, is a local nonprofit serving Craven and Jones Counties with a mission of rebuilding lives and restoring hope after disasters. Born out of the long-term recovery efforts following Hurricanes Matthew and Florence, CCDRA coordinates volunteers, construction teams, and case management services to help families who are still struggling years after the storms. Today, more than 200 homes in our community remain in need of repairs, many of these belonging to elderly residents, people with disabilities, and families who cannot afford recovery on their own.



Through its work, CCDRA provides more than just home repairs. The organization strengthens preparedness and resiliency for future storms, provides emotional and spiritual support, equips volunteers with meaningful opportunities to serve, and brings neighbors together in faith and compassion. Even as national groups move on to other disasters, CCDRA’s dedicated staff remain in the community, continuing the mission to walk alongside survivors until every family has a safe, secure place to call home.

Among the largest anti-hunger organizations in the United States, the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina works every day to provide food to people in need while advancing long-term solutions to end hunger in our communities.

For more than 40 years, the Food Bank and our Branch locations have served as the central hub of a network that has grown to 700+ partner programs across a 34-county region — including free food markets, pantries, meal sites, and a host of initiatives serving children, adults, and seniors. Together, we’re working to overcome hunger and create an environment where everyone in North Carolina can thrive.

The New Bern Branch services five counties in Eastern North Carolina: Carteret, Craven, Jones, Onslow, and Pamlico. 

Operation Jammies is celebrating another year of collecting cozy pajamas for families served by the Coastal Women’s Shelter. We are gathering new pajamas, robes, and booties for mothers and children. Children’s sizes range from 6 months through size 16 for both boys and girls, and women’s sizes range from Small through XXL.

Collection bins are located inside the main entrance to the educational building. Thank you for helping make this meaningful project a continuing success. For questions, please contact Lynn Hand.

Beginning Wednesday, December 3, the Sock Tree will be in the Narthex. This annual Presbyterian Women project invites church members and friends to donate new socks for men, women, and children of all ages. Holiday-themed or everyday styles are all welcome.

On Friday, January 2, all donated socks will be delivered to RCS. If you have any questions, please contact Norma Morra.

This year’s Christmas Offering at First Presbyterian Church will support MERCI Clinic, a vital community ministry that has provided compassionate, comprehensive medical and limited dental care to uninsured and underinsured adults in Eastern North Carolina since 1996.

Beginning as a one-night-a-week clinic seeing 10–15 patients, MERCI has grown into one of the state’s most respected free clinics, now serving more than 150 patients through the work of dedicated volunteers and staff. As Medicaid and insurance-subsidy changes increase demand, MERCI continues to offer primary care, specialty services, lab work, medications, education, and transportation, all while addressing the social factors—such as food and housing—that affect patients’ health. More than 75% of patients manage multiple chronic conditions, and MERCI walks alongside each one with dignity and care.

As one patient, Samuel, shared, “MERCI has given me a second chance in life and health… What a wonderful group of angels we have right here in New Bern.” In 2026, MERCI Clinic will celebrate 30 years of serving neighbors in need.

It has been a wonderfully exciting Fall for our Music Ministry here at First Presbyterian Church.

All of our vocal and handbell choirs have been working very hard and continue to share their amazing musical gifts with us each and every week.



Our pre-school choirs have not only learned so many wonderful songs, they have also been learning about all kinds of musical instruments! Miss Pat has quite a collection of instruments, some of them given to her by church members and friends who have traveled to various countries and brought back musical instruments native to that country. The children have had the opportunity to play these instruments and hear how each one sounds and looks different. Mr. Daniel even brought out his accordion, and they enjoyed singing favorites such as the ‘ABC’ song and ‘Jesus Loves Me, This I Know!’ These children are such gifts from God, and we love them! The Craven Ukes have graciously accepted my invitation to play a special Christmas program for our pre-school which will feature some Christmas favorites and even a sing-a-long! This program will take place on December 3^rd.

This fall, the Children’s Choir, Resurrection Singers, the Sanctuary Choir, and the Handbell Choir have also been rehearsing some familiar favorites as well as learning some new pieces of music. It is so rewarding to see and hear their musical skills improve with each and every rehearsal…Kudos to all! Featuring different musical ensembles at the 8:30 am Worship Services this Fall has been such a blessing.

I performed an organ recital on November 2^nd to an enthusiastic and appreciative audience as a part of our 2025-2026 Concert Series. The next program will take place on January 25^th, when I will perform a Harpsichord recital featuring the monumental English Suite no. 2 in G Major by the great Johann Sebastian Bach. Also, mark your calendars for December 19^th when we will have our Service of Carols and Candlelight. These and other programs can be found on our church website.

Daniel J. Sansone

Director of Music



On a certain cold, rainy and dreary afternoon several weeks ago a friend and I took a field trip to Greenville to see the movie Last Days (the 2025 version, not an earlier one) directed by Justin Lin, known best for The Fast and Furious movie franchise. Are you curious as to why you are reading this in the church newsletter? Well, the story is one you may recognize from the news several years ago. It is about a young evangelical Christian named John Chau who travelled to a remote and uncontacted island off the coast of India to be a missionary to the North Sentinelese people, who ended up murdering him. We blew right by the spoiler alert!! My apologies! I was obsessed with this story when it was first reported in the news in 2018 and when the movie was released and was reviewed both by the New York Times and by The Christian Century (and not unfavorably, I might add), I knew I needed to see it. It is a very complicated story that will keep me thinking for months, but one of the themes of the movie was Chau's absolute conviction that he had been called by God to minister to these people, despite all the warnings and proscriptions which he had almost universally received from others. He was nothing if not CERTAIN of his call. 

And so, our theme this month is CERTAINTY. The two books to be highlighted are THE MYTH OF CERTAINTY by Daniel Taylor [248.8 TAY], subtitled The Reflective Christian and the Risk of Commitment, on which we did an adult Sunday school class back in the late 80s or early 90s shortly after it was first published. The second is THE SIN OF CERTAINTY by Peter Enns [234 ENN] from 2016, subtitled Why God Desires Our Trust More Than Our “Correct” Beliefs. You can surmise (if these two authors are to be believed) that CERTAINTY has not rehabilitated its reputation in the intervening decades. I struggle with this, as I am a big believer in CONVICTION, especially as laid on our hearts by the Holy Spirit. So how are those two terms different? This is the question that haunts me from my movie. Maybe you also would like to consider it in some more depth. The two books will be available to check out on the big table in the William Lee Hawkins Library on the second floor of the Ministry Center, the entire month of December. We actually have two copies of the Taylor book, so one will be a give-away book, if you so choose. It will be labelled “Free for the Taking."

I would encourage you to also try to find the movie; not sure if it is streaming yet. If you can access it, please, let’s talk about it. In the meantime, the late Timothy Keller, who was mentioned in last month's Library Column, has a podcast of his old sermons entitled Gospel in Life. The one that was released on November 19, 2025, entitled Humility [LINK BELOW] which was based on Philippians 2:1-11, has a lot to say (partially derived from the writings of Jonathan Edwards, famous colonial American theologian and father and grandfather of two of the original thirteen founding members of our church) on this topic and on related ideas such as drivenness, and willfulness. And so, because our offerings from the Library are multimedia (more on that in a later column), there you have it …. Two books, a movie, and a podcast sermon, four good ways to spend your long, cold winter days (and nights!) which are certainly on the horizon. 

Forty-seven Presbyterian Women and our token male, Patrick Ryan, gathered in the Session House for a lovely salad and dessert luncheon following worship on November 16.

Beautiful autumn colored table runners, sewn by Jaina Olesen, decorated the tables along with brown-eyed Susans and seashells with the words Resilience, Identity, and Joy from our Bible study written on them. Co-Moderator and Historian, Jaina Olesen, presented “Our Mission Continues,” the continuation of the historical review of the women of First Pres. Last year, she did the first 50 years, and this year, she added the rest of the story, from 1965 to 2025.

We are very grateful to Jaina for all the hard work she has done in digging through boxes of archives and researching our history for us. Extra copies of her booklet are available on the table in the Ministry Center hall if you are interested.

What a beautiful time of year and the many opportunities to help others. The Presbyterian Women’s Coordinating Team were asked to help the students with gift bags for 50 students of UKirk prior to their first semester finals. We were thrilled for this opportunity to make a stressful time more bearable. After our November meeting we brought small items and had written notes of encouragement to be placed in 50 bags. Janet Bryan, our representative, with the students will deliver them prior to their finals.

Pictured are Jaina Olesen, Ann Thornton, Kim Avolis, Janet Bryan, Pat Rowlett, Pam Gaskill and Joyce Weaver.

As you consider your end-of-year giving, please remember that checks must be dated and mailed by December 31 to be included in your 2025 contributions.  

Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs) must be deposited and cleared by January 1 to receive credit for 2025.

If you plan to make a stock gift, it will be sent to our account at Overman Capital (contact us for the account details). And, it is helpful to alert the finance office of a pending stock gift so we can watch for the transfer and ensure you receive proper credit.

The finance office will be enjoying Christmas vacation from December 22–26. 

If you have any questions, please contact Summer Hough at 252-637-3270 or summer@firstpresnb.org.

Thank you for your generosity, which helps us continue growing God’s presence in this place!

Thank you so much for the cards, visits, beautiful flowers, and delicious food, as well as to the Fellowship Committee for providing the lovely reception after Henry’s death last month. Your kindness and support meant so much, and I am blessed to have such a caring and generous church family. 

In His love, 

Trudy Martin

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

Daniel Sansone - Director of Music

daniel@firstpresnb.org

Pat K. Rowlett - Associate Director of Music

pat@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

Morgan Stephens - Director of 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