Meeting Times at 4th United Presbyterian Church

Cafe' Worship: 9:15 a.m. each Sunday in Gathering Hall (activities provided for children; coffee; snacks)
Adult Sunday School: 10 a.m.

Sunday Worship: 11 a.m.


Bible Study: each Thursday at 6 p.m.


Community Forum: last Thursday of each month at 6 p.m. with meal (no community forum in November, 2011)


About the 4th United Presbyterian Bible Blog

Posts on this blog are from me, Rev. George H. Waters, one of the two organizing co-pastors of 4th United Presbyterian Church. Our other organizing pastor was Rev. Sonya McAuley-Allen, who is now pastor of a church in Charlotte, N.C. Since June of 2011, Rev. Elizabeth Peterson has been our parish associate pastor for new church development. The earliest posts are sermon notes from the few I have typed the last two years. Then, there is a series of notes posted on the book of Romans. After that, it varies from week to week, sometimes church news, sometimes reflections on a happening, a passage of scripture, or even some pictures. This blog is meant to open the conversation we have going on in our church to others in our community.



The picture below is of our church's sanctuary, built in 1913.





Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Bible Study for Thursday, August 26 at 6 p.m.

This Thursday, we continue reviewing the basic structure of the Bible. Last week we reviewed the order and grouping of books in the Old Testament. This week we will continue that review and also include a review of New Testament books. And, for the second half of our class, we will begin to organize into groups to complete our community surveys (surveys of businesses, service organizations, and the neighborhood around us). So, we continue to study the sacred scriptures of the Church, and to study our community as we figure out where our place is as those living out the Christian faith in this community that we are placed in.

We have four more months to prepare our final new church development plan. This is to be a three year plan (2011-2014) for how we will develop as a church in a way that opens our doors to the community around us and also in a way that gets us out of our doors into the community around us.

If our work with the community and with our congregation enables us to show real progress in our own church and in our engagement with our community then our plan is likely to be a good one and to gain acceptance from both session and the new church development committee from Presbytery. If this three year plan is approved, we could get up to $200,000 in support of our church over the next three years. These funds have been set aside for our use, however, we have to show that our congregation is really ready to move forward. We need all those who are able to join with us in strengthening all parts of our church's life as we seek to move forward, from participation in worship and Sunday School and Bible Study and Women's Association to service in the community, and perhaps less visible, but so fundamental, daily efforts of each member to seek God's will and to seek communion with God through prayer and just living.

We are at a point where we need everyone's participation and support to make it over the first big hill of this new church's life. So, let your heart rest in God, and see what you are led to do in all of this. It is encouraging for us to have visitors join us when they do, and it is encouraging to know that our own members still believe in this young church that has gone through many changes over the past year and one-half of its life.

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