"The meaning of life. The wasted years of life. The poor choices of life. God answers the mess of life with one word: grace."   -Max Lucado

"No evil can resist grace forever."   -Brennan Manning

Dear FPC Members and Friends,

We are a people of grace, shaped by the unmerited love of God and the forgiveness that is ours each and every day. So much of what we experience in life comes down to what we earn, and in this context God's grace seems so terribly unfair. How could it be that God relates to us not according to our merit, but according to God's love? What sense does that make?

That's the question that lies at the heart of our scripture readings for this Sunday, which are Zechariah 9:9-12 and Romans 7:15-25a. The Zechariah text is commonly heard or read during Advent, as it calls for God's people to hope in a coming future peace. The Romans text is a well-known reading in which Paul seems anguished over his constant wrestling with the reality of his own sinfulness. You may read them and find yourself left with a question: How are these texts connected to each other? The answer, of course, is grace. But I encourage you to dig deeper. Reflect on how these texts connect with our daily lives. What do these passages teach us about God? What do they teach us about ourselves?

As the July 4th holiday will occur just one day before our Sunday worship, this weekend is for many an extended holiday weekend. Please keep those who travel in your prayers. Pray for meaningful gatherings, the blessings of rest and renewal, and respite from the heat. Give thanks to God for freedom, for opportunities to worship God, and for those who have sacrificed much and all who continue to do so. While our worship services will not be focused on the July 4th holiday, there will be elements of praise for our freedom woven into our time together. I pray that as we celebrate our independence in the week to come, we will first come together to confess our total dependence upon the God who created us. All that we are and all that we have are gifts from God, and it is right to give God alone the glory, to worship God with the fullness of our being, and to join with all creation in praising the God who is our maker, sustainer, redeemer, and friend.

As we make our way toward Sunday together, remember that you are and always will be a child of God, and a recipient of God's amazing grace!

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

We are proud of Harrison Tullar, who represented First Presbyterian Church and Northeast Georgia Presbytery as a Young Adult Advisory Delegate (YAAD) to the 2026 General Assembly of the PC(USA), held in Milwaukee from June 25 through July 2.

As a YAAD, Harrison served as a youth representative, offering insight and perspective while advising the commissioners of the General Assembly. We are grateful for his willingness to serve the larger church and for the dedication he brought to this important role.

We look forward to hearing about Harrison's experiences when he returns and give thanks for the ways God continues to raise up young leaders to serve the church.

Photo: Harrison leading the opening prayer during one of the General Assembly committee sessions.

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.