“Be Thou My Vision”

If you were not in worship this past Sunday, you missed a powerful service. Rebecca Aguirre shared her incredible musical talents, guiding our hearts with the bright timbre of the violin. We were taught by one of our children to be grateful for the blessings of this life, especially for our families, both the ones at home and at church. We prayed together, we were blessed with a wonderful anthem, reminding us of that “Old Time Religion,” which connects us to the saints of our scriptures and those we have known over the years. And, as always, we sang together.

One of the hymns we sang, Be Thou My Vision, is one of my favorites. It is almost impossible for me to keep from getting emotional when I sing it. Like anything we read, or sing, or hear, it speaks differently to me each time. Sometimes, it just makes me tearfully happy, filled with gratitude that our God is not distant, but close, ready always to fill the eyes of our hearts with purpose and vision. Other times, I sing it as both lament and petition, begging God to be my vision. To be my wisdom, my strength, my light, “my best thought by day or by night.”

What struck me this past Sunday was the fourth verse: “High King of Heaven, my victory won, may I reach heaven’s joys, O bright heaven’s Sun! Heart of my own heart, whatever befall, still be my vision, O Ruler of all.” As a sang, I prayed. Heart of my own heart: Lord please be my heart! Please fill my heart with thy goodness and mercy, make it loving and kind, make it more like yours. Whatever befall: Whatever I face Lord, whatever my family, whatever this church, whatever the world faces, whatever befalls, still be my vision, still be our vision, O Ruler of all. 

God is ruler of all. None of us knows how this is true or exactly what it means. As close as God is to us, there exists an insurmountable chasm between our knowledge and that of the Lord’s. Our inability to understand our suffering, the suffering and injustice of the world, rests in the depths of this chasm. “Why?” is what we rightly want to know and yet we cannot know, not now. But what we can do is make music, sing, rejoice, and love one another. For it is our praise and thanksgiving, our gracious love for others, that carries us over the chasm to the heart of God.

Whether it is tears of joy or of sorrow that your carry to the Lord in prayer, may God’s steadfast love surround you, may it be your vision, helping you to see across the chasm of your suffering to the eternally loving heart of God. And if you are having trouble finding the words, perhaps these will suffice: “Be thou my wisdom, and thou my true Word; I ever with thee and thou with me, Lord; thou my soul’s shelter, and thou my high tower; raise thou me heaven-ward, O Power of my power.” 

Grace and peace,

Will

Intergenerational Sunday School begins July 5. All ages will gather in the Fellowship Hall each week at 9:00 a.m. for the sharing of scripture, song, prayer, group discussion, and age-appropriate activities for children.

Our curriculum is We Pray to God, a study that focuses on four movements of prayer: adoration, confession, thanksgiving, and supplication. Together, we will learn how the Psalms describe these types of prayer and practice using them to reenergize our own prayer life.

An Update from the APNC

The APNC is making steady progress toward our goals. The Session unanimously approved the Ministry Discernment Profile, which has since been entered into the Church Leadership Connection system. The position is now active in the system, which will produce potential matches to review.

The APNC meets weekly, and will begin reviewing matches as they become available. While we understand that this will be a lengthy part of the process, we have confidence that with God's help and your prayers, the APNC will move at a pace that is in line with His perfect timing. We look forward to providing you with regular updates and welcome any questions you may have. Thank you for your support.

In peace and joy,

The APNC - Missy Nicholson & Ginger Mauney, Co-Chairs, Paul Govan, Kamin Lambertson, Ann Drayton Lister, Robert Lynn, Leanna McCord, and William Shelburne, Jr.

A Note from Emily - “Reflections on the General Assembly of the PCUSA”

Sending Ameka Cruz to our denomination’s biennial General Assembly (GA) this week has brought back memories of my own experiences at GA, first as a Youth Advisory Delegate from the Presbytery of South Alabama to the Assembly in Long Beach, CA, in 2000, and then as a Teaching Elder (i.e. Minister) commissioner from Baltimore Presbytery to the Assembly in Pittsburgh, PA in 2012. I attended my first GA as an 18-year old agnostic Presbyterian, and to my great surprise, I had an encounter with the living Christ at a peaceful protest that was being held outside our first plenary worship gathering that changed my life forever and launched my discernment of a call to ministry. Ironically, it was a protest of one of our denomination’s policies that led me into a deep-dive into scripture and our Book of Confessions, which ultimately led me to a re-engagement of the church and a desire to follow Christ into ordained ministry.

By the time I was elected by my Presbytery to return to a General Assembly twelve years later, I was married and an ordained minister, serving in my first call. Instead of a Youth Advisory delegate who only had voice, but not vote, in the plenary sessions, I went as the Vice Moderator of the Committee considering matters related to the Board of Pensions, the PCUSA Foundation, and the Presbyterian Publishing Corporation. It was my committee who had the pleasure of commending to you the new Glory to God Hymnals, which we now use in worship every Sunday. 

Interestingly, what I remember most, besides my very particular “God-moment” call and conversion experience at the Long Beach GA, is not any one overture that was approved or not, but the deepening of my understanding of what it means to be in a connectional church. There is something holy and awe-inspiring about gathering with hundreds of other Presbyterians from around the nation to worship God and celebrate communion, knowing you will also be passionately debating one another about the particulars of what it means to live out that faith in the church and in the world. Trying to do the collective work of discerning God’s will as a Church was, at times, frustrating, tedious, joy-filled, deeply moving, humbling, confusing and overwhelming. Ameka and the other commissioners and staff will need our prayers as they seek to discern the will of God for the church. My experience both times is that more than anything else, GA is a gathering of people: faithful, fallible human beings who will mostly come to the conclusion that at the end of the day, we must all throw ourselves upon the mercy of God, trusting in his sovereign love to finally work all things together for good.  

Peace,

Emily

Calling all Youth & Children who love to sing! If anyone would like to sing a verse of a hymn or the benediction response during July, please contact Director of Music, Lisa Dillard.  

Summer Songbirds kicks off July 5th! Singers of all ages are invited to join the choir for 10:00 a.m. worship. Rehearsals are each Sunday at 9:30 a.m. Contact Lisa Dillard for more information.  

A Fond Farewell for Lizzie

We are so grateful for the many ways that Lizzie McCallum has served First Presbyterian Church during her time here. She has nurtured our young ones in the nurseries, enthusiastically worked with our children, led youth programs, and assisted with worship. She has been an invaluable member of our staff!

Please join us in worship on Sunday, July 19th when we will express our gratitude and say farewell to Lizzie as she prepares to enter graduate school at UNC Chapel Hill.

The Officer Nominating Committee invites the congregation to submit names of individuals you believe God is calling to serve as elders and deacons. You may do this by filling out the form found in the bulletin and dropping it in the offering plate.

You can also email your suggestions to Lisa Johnson in the church office at lisaj@fpcgreer.org by Sunday, July 19. 

Luanne Baker

Bill Koehler

Ann Lelo

Tom Magaha

Stuart Mauney

Judy Mirick

Bob Moss

Terri Moss

Donna Palmer

Denise Riddle

Pam Turnage

Myra Wood

Carolyn Wright

FPC Greer Financial Summary

Year to Date Actual Income

as of 05/31/26 = $461,101.00

Year to Date Budgeted Income

as of 05/31/26 = $379,289.00

Variance = +$81,812.00

Thank you for supporting the mission and ministry of FPC Greer!

Stewardship Spotlight

2026 2nd quarter giving statements will be emailed to you between July 15th and July 20th. Be on the lookout for an email which will provide a link to your statement. If you would like your statement mailed to you via USPS, please let Christi Yenser, our Financial Administrator, know by sending her an email at christiy@fpcgreer.org. If you have any questions about your statement, please contact Christi for assistance.

Click Here to View the Latest Church Photos Including Pentecost and Confirmation Sunday!

The next issue of First News is July 28. If you have content for the newsletter, please email it to Lisa Johnson at lisaj@fpcgreer.org by Monday, July 27.