BUILDING COMMUNITY. TRANSFORMING LIVES. ENGAGING THE WORLD. | | | | |
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This past weekend, the Rothermel Foundation had the privilege of welcoming Norman Wirzba. In his newest book, Love’s Braided Dance: Hope in a Time of Crisis, he observes that he is being asked one thing with increasing frequency: where do you find hope?
I can affirm his observation. People are hungry for hope, searching for direction, and longing for insight.
Dr. Wirzba's response has been to encourage a different question, one I am placing in a central place in my devotions this Lent/Holy Week/Easter: Who or what do you love?
He writes:[i]
The trouble with various expressions of hope—and optimism, more generally—is that they can create what a friend of mine calls “the ultimate bystander effect.” Don’t worry. Everything’s going to be alright. Somebody else or some technological invention will save us. The problem with this position is that when people become bystanders, the status quo that fosters hopelessness doesn’t get challenged or corrected.
For hope to matter, and for it to serve as a source of inspiration to people, we need to have some clarity about what hope is for. What’s the point of hope, and why should anyone care?
To get at the point of hope I now ask people a very direct question: “What and who do you love?” I think this is a better question than, “Do you have hope?” because the latter makes hope seem like something people obtain and possess, like a vaccine or security blanket that will protect people from whatever trouble comes their way. Some people have it. Some people don’t.
Hope is something people do. It is an affective capacity they live into. That makes hope more like a power than a possession. The name for this power is love. Hopeful people inspire us because they show us that places and people are worthy of our love, and they help us see what love-in-action looks like. They give us reasons to know that striving for a better future is worth it.
Who or what do you love, and how does that encourage you to hope?
Looking forward to worshiping with you in Holy Week and Easter –
it is always good to be together.
| [i] https://yalebooks.yale.edu/2024/10/01/the-point-of-hope/ | | | | |
PAT KERR ROWLETT
♫ Music Notes
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Our choirs are busy preparing for Spring Ring, Palm Sunday, Good Friday and Easter.
Spring Ring, 4:00 pm April 6, is our 35th performance! Our Covenant Choir (K-5th grade) will be singing, playing instruments, and playing handchimes. Our 3-year-old and Pre-Kindergarten classes from the Preschool will be singing with them. The Sanctuary Bells will be playing 5 octave handbell music, including a piece called “Hymnfest” that contains portions from 16 well known hymns. We’re hoping the congregation will be able to find them all! We have a surprise for you as well. You will have to attend to find out what it is!
Palm Sunday will feature an anthem from the children followed by a processional for everyone to “All Glory, Laud, and Honor”.
Good Friday will feature Kimberly Lake, cellist, and Easter will feature 2 trumpeters.
It’s such a busy season, but so meaningful. I hope you plan to join us.
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APRIL 6
35th Annual Spring Ring
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APRIL 7
Respite Care Program
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First Presbyterian Church's Care Commission invites you to a community introduction to a new program coming to New Bern that will create a place for people living with dementia and their families to connect with each other. There are more than 2,500 people living with dementia in New Bern.
To that end, Lindsay Roberts, MHA, is creating a volunteer-powered dementia program. She is modeling the program after Respite for All Foundation’s work. Daphne Johnston, one of their co-founders, will be in New Bern on April 7 to lead a community workshop, “Neighbors Helping Neighbors Living with Dementia."
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APRIL 9
Fellowship Dinner
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On Wednesday, April 9th, join us for our April Fellowship Dinner! We will be having an Easter menu of Baked Ham, Macaroni & Cheese, Deviled Eggs, Green Beans, Baked Apples, Rolls, and Coconut and Chocolate Cakes for dessert.
Sign up by April 4th!
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APRIL 12
Presbyterian Women
| | On Saturday, April 12, our own First Presbyterian Church will be hosting the Presbyterian Women of New Hope Presbytery for their annual Spring Gathering. We expect 75-85 ladies from all nine areas of New Hope. The keynote speaker will be Pamela Snyder, Moderator of Presbyterian Women Churchwide. Registration begins at 9 am with the program beginning at 10 am. Optional boxed lunches will be available for $10. All First Presbyterian Women are encouraged to attend this special gathering and help to provide a warm welcome to our visitors from around North Carolina. Please register today to help us prepare. | | Eight Presbyterian Women from First Presbyterian Church attended the Presbytery of New Hope Retreat at the 4-H Center in Columbia, NC, on March 21-23. The theme of the retreat was “Be still and know that I am God.” Shown here are First Pres retreat attendees (left to right): Jane Green, Pam Gaskill, Janet Bryan, Rebecca Forrest, Sue Spiker, Carole Koi, Susan Daniell, and Elaine Berberich. | | | | |
APRIL 13 - APRIL 20
Holy Week
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APRIL 17
Maundy Thursday Dinner
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Join us on Maundy Thursday, April 17, from 6 pm-7 pm in the Session House for a simple meal inspired by the foods of Jesus' time—fish, grapes, olives and more—coupled with storytelling and communion around table as we remember the night Jesus shared the Last Supper with his disciples. Through scripture readings and written reflections we will walk the path from the table to the garden, remembering Jesus’ final hours before his arrest.
This is a meaningful time of worship and preparation for Good Friday. Space is limited, so please RSVP by April 11 at 3 pm so we can plan accordingly. Childcare will be provided in the Nursery for PreK and under. They will have a pizza party with Pastor Catherine. Contact the church office or click here to reserve your place.
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APRIL & MAY
Two Lunch Wagon Trips!
| | Come join our Lunch Wagon trips in April and May for a great time and even better fellowship. Use the Signup Genius links below or call the church office to sign up for either trip. | | |
APRIL 30
Duke Chapel Organ Demonstration
Durham NC
We are scheduling a trip to Duke University in Durham for a tour of Duke Chapel and a demonstration of the organs on Wednesday, April 30.
The bus will leave the church’s front parking lot at 8:30am and return around 6:00pm. We will have an early lunch so we can make our 1:00 pm tour time. After the organ demonstration, we will have a guided tour of Duke Chapel. There is no charge for the tour.
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May 9
Bonehenge Whale Center
Beaufort NC
The Lunch Wagon will be visiting the Bonehenge Whale Center in Beaufort on Friday, May 9. The center’s mission is geared toward educational programming on marine conservation and exhibiting stranded specimen collections of whales, dolphins and porpoises. We will have a guided tour. There is no cost for the tour although donations to the center are suggested. The tour is limited to 10 adults.
We will leave the church’s front parking lot at 9:15am. Our tour starts at 10:30am. We will eat lunch following the tour at Spot Grill which is a cash only restaurant (seafood, hamburgers and hot dogs). We ate at Spot’s when we went to Harker’s Island.
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KIM CRUM
Creation Care Team
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April is a glorious month in eastern North Carolina – we’re greeted by the blooms of the redbud and dogwood, followed closely by azaleas in every possible color. The wind starts to rustle through new leaves, and our gardens creep back into renewed life. There is a reason Earth Day is celebrated in April! Whenever I feel like life and the world is closing in on me, the outdoors is where I feel the true presence of God and the hope my faith presents to me. I would bet many of you feel the same!
In January, our newly formed Creation Care team applied to the PC(USA) for certification as an Earth Care congregation. We recently learned that our application was accepted, and we are now certified! We are the first congregation to be certified in the New Hope Presbytery, so we are at the forefront of something good!
Within our congregation, we have several members who work diligently to maintain and care for God’s creation and people through volunteer work within our local community. Here are a couple of good examples:
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Our own Beth Dabagian is an active volunteer with the Craven County Food Bank. See her picture below as she plants multiple types of lettuce, radish, beets, carrots and so many other things! They are experimenting with raised garden beds this year and are excited to see the results.
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Helen Robinson is an active volunteer with Faith Connection, an interfaith community-based non-profit. Once again, they are offering Earth Day activities to strengthen efforts to care for God’s creation. Click the flyer below for more information.
| | Watch this space every quarter for updates on the activities of our creation care team and some tidbits on living more sustainably. Caring for God’s creation is an important thing to do and a fun way to get involved in the outdoors! | | | | |
WENDY MOELLER
William Lee Hawkins Library
| | Kim Crum returns this month as our library guest columnist. See also her article elsewhere in this month’s edition from the Creation Care Committee, and check out her recommended books which will be on the big table in the Hawkins Library on the second floor of the Ministry Center. | | |
“There is pleasure in the pathless woods
There is society, where none intrudes,
By the deep sea, and music in its roar:
I love not man the less, but Nature more”
A beautiful poem by Lord George Gordon Byron (1788-1824) found in a new book on the shelves of our own Hawkins Library – Meditations on the Earth, compiled by Holly Hughes.
When I was growing up in rural Iowa, my parents always had several bird feeders and an ear of field corn for the squirrels. Not only were they a source of entertainment, we spent a lot of hours talking about what types of birds we had through various seasons and we kept a journal noting the arrival of the first hummingbird. We marveled at the change in summer color of the goldfinch that ate at the feeder right outside our kitchen window. My Dad especially was a bird lover, and he taught me the simple joy of watching various birds as they fluttered through life. He and I spent many hours going through his collection of bird flash cards – I could name everything from the American Robin to the Great Auk, Scarlet Tanager, and the Yellow Warbler. Believe me, most of those birds were not found where we lived! Those memories still make me smile when I recognize the Killdeer at the beach and the Carolina Chickadee in my own backyard.
In the Midwest after a long winter, seeing that first robin of spring was a monumental event! Imagine my surprise when my southern husband and I moved to South Carolina, only to learn that the return of the robin meant winter was on its way! I had never thought about what the arrival of a certain bird meant somewhere other than my hometown. For you other bird lovers out there, our library has a delightful book titled An Eye of the Sparrow by Sally Roth. She does a great job of tying specific Biblical bird references to each species mentioned and gives a history of sorts about what different types of birds have meant through history.
The Hawkins Library at First Pres has an enormous number of books relating to all things nature – topics range from environmental ethics to meditations on the outdoors and discovering God in the natural world. There is a terrific book by Katharine Hayhoe entitled Saving Us: A Climate Scientist’s Case for Hope and Healing in a Divided World. I highly recommend it for those who want to understand more deeply the environmental issues facing our world, and how to talk more openly about them.
To find books related to nature and the environment, use our library search function and type in nature, environment, or creation to see what is available in these areas. You’ll be amazed at all of the titles available!
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CATHERINE CAMPBELL
Children, Youth, and Families
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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
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DANIEL SANSONE
We have a Harpsichord!
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We are delighted to announce that we have a new member to add to our musical instrument family here at First Presbyterian Church!
Through an extremely generous donation, we are the proud church family of a Zuckermann III Flemish-style Harpsichord. Casey Dunaway helped build our Fisk (opus 89) organ that was installed in 1986. He has over the years curated and cared for our organ with utmost dedication, care, and expertise. Casey was aware that we were interested in some day having a harpsichord (I may have mentioned that to him a few times)! He completely refurbished the instrument as well as the beautiful solid Walnut case. Casey even decided the register tassles that operate the 8’ and 4’ stops would be the colors of the New Bern City…no detail is overlooked with Casey!!
Some may not really be that familiar with this keyboard instrument. It is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. Depressing a key raises the back end within the instrument, which in turn raises a mechanism with a small plectrum made from quill or plastic that plucks one or more strings. The strings are under tension on a soundboard, which of course is mounted in a wooden case. The soundboard amplifies the vibration from the strings so that the listener can hear it.
I will be continuing to write further about the Harpsichord in the coming months, as to its origin, how it can/will be used for worship services and concerts as well as the vast opus of literature written for the instrument.
We are so very grateful to Casey and know that this instrument will be an amazing addition to our Music Ministry.
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ANNOUNCING THE
Polishing Party
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Calling all those who like to polish!
We need volunteers to help polish the communion plates, trays and goblets.
Anyone interested please contact the church office.
Once we have the list of volunteers, we will determine a day and time to meet and polish our little hearts out! All ages are welcome to participate.
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OUTREACH COMMISSION
Lasagna and Gratitude with Volunteers
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On Thursday, March 20, the Outreach Commission provided dinner to the student teams that came to work at CCDRA (Coastal Community Disaster Resiliency Agency) to support home owners and help repair homes that are still in need almost 8 years after Hurricane Florence. These students were on spring break and were from Hope College in Holland, Michigan. The 2nd team was a Korean Ministry group from Grace Community Chapel in New Jersey.
The evening was filled with food, laughter, and stories told about the homes in local communities as well as work that was completed on the campus of CCDRA. The students were delighted to enjoy “real food” and share with everyone the highlights of their experience. We are grateful these young people chose to spend their spring break helping others in need!!
Besides ably doing sub-flooring, dry wall, and roofing, the student volunteers also did some repair jobs on the campus of Neuse Forest Presbyterian Church and CCDRA. For many of the students, this was their third trip to New Bern.
Interacting with these kind and capable students was a wonderful treat for the cooks from First Pres!
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JOB OPPORTUNITY
Preschool Teacher
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Our preschool is seeking a loving and dedicated teacher to join our team. If you have a passion for working with young children and sharing God's love, we'd love to hear from you. If you are interested, please contact our director Kerri at kerri@firstpresnb.org.
Join us in making a difference in the lives of our little learners!
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SUMMER SERMON SERIES
Vocabulary of Faith
| | Have you ever been in church, listening to a sermon and wondered, "Yes, but what does that word mean, really?" This summer we are going to explore the vocabulary of faith in our sermon series, and would love your help. What terms cause you to pause? What words call forth wonder? Are there words you wish we would use more? Please send your requests to anna@firstpresnb.org. | | | | |
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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 Wheeler - 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.
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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
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Physical Address
400 New Street,
New Bern, NC 28560
Mailing Address
PO Box 1069,
New Bern, NC 28563
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Church Office Hours
Monday - Thursday
9:00 am - 3:00 pm
Friday
9:00 am - 1:00 pm
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