“I came to understand that God hadn’t lost me, even if I seemed for years to have misplaced God.”   -Kathleen Norris

“Where can I go from your spirit? Or where can I flee from your presence?"  -Psalm 139

Dear FPC Members and Friends,

Have you ever felt like you left God behind? Maybe it was during a time in your life when you felt a distance or an absence and wondered where God was in the midst of it all. Maybe you felt like you kept moving down your life's path and suddenly turned around expecting to find God, but God seemed not to be there. Sometimes I think it's easier (and perhaps even more common) to feel God's distance from us than God's closeness to us. That distance can be a difficult experience, but it's worth remembering that we all, at some point or another, go through it.

It's also worth remembering that scripture promises us that God is always there, despite the times when we find ourselves searching. In fact, the God that we encounter in the Bible is a God who persistently and tenaciously seeks us, pursuing us through days and nights, hills and valleys, joys and sorrows. One of the most clear and defining characteristics of God in the Bible is that God simply does not give up. Ever. It can be easy for us during the trying times of life to feel like God isn't there, but is that true? Could there be ways in which God is prodding us, pursuing us, and chasing after us even when we're feeling distant from God?

This Sunday we'll be focusing on a few readings that speak to God's persistent grace. Our readings in worship will be Isaiah 55:10-13 and Romans 8:1-11. I hope that you'll take some time between now and Sunday to read and reflect on the very comforting good news of these texts. No matter where you are or what you're experiencing, I pray that you will find God's presence and God's persistent love surrounding you. You may want to go ahead and read the entirety of Romans 8 for that matter. It's been called the most beautiful chapter ever written, and it's easy to see why. Every word is dripping with a reaffirmation of God's amazing grace and persistent love! 

May God bless you in these bright, sunny days of summer, and may you find God's presence and steadfast love wherever you may be!

Grace and Peace,

Lee

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July 2026 Lectionary Readings

July 5

Genesis 24:34–38, 42–49, 58–67 | Psalm 45:10–17

Romans 7:15–25a | Matthew 11:16–19, 25–30

July 12

Genesis 25:19–34 | Psalm 119:105–112

Romans 8:1–11 | Matthew 13:1–9, 18–23

July 19

Genesis 28:10–19a | Psalm 139:1–12, 23–24

Romans 8:12–25 | Matthew 13:24–30, 36–43

July 26

Genesis 29:15–28 | Psalm 105:1–11, 45b

Romans 8:26–39 | Matthew 13:31–33, 44–52

FOOD DRIVE for the FOOD PANTRY

Over 25 years ago, the Gainesville/Hall Community Food Pantry was founded by 5 area churches, including FPC.  Each church provides support including: volunteer coordinators who are members of the pantry’s Board of Directors, volunteers to serve at the food pantry, financial support for the rent for the food pantry’s facilities, food items such as bread, cheese, and butter, and food drives to support the inventory at the food pantry.

Most of the non-perishable food that the food pantry distributes comes from the Atlanta Community Food Bank while the eggs come from the Georgia Mountain Food Bank. Recently, the inventory available at ACFB has been low. The food pantry is starting to run out of some of the food that we give out on a regular basis.

Because of that, the 5 churches have decided to run a food drive together. Each church will collect certain food items that we need at the food pantry. FPC has agreed to collect the following items:

·        Canned meat, such as tuna, chicken, etc.

·        Canned fruit, such as peach, pineapple, mixed fruit, etc.

Please prayerfully consider contributing any or all the above items to our food drive. We will be collecting them throughout the month of July. You can leave the cans of meat and fruit in the bins in Swetenburg Hall and by the church office.

Thank you for being a blessing to the families we serve at the food pantry.