Welcome
Welcome to the First Presbyterian Church of Urbana! We believe that everyone who enters these doors is God’s guest. This is a safe place, to search for and find God, to ask questions along with others who know that the life of faith is not about having all the answers, and to open doors to paths that might be familiar and some that might be entirely new. Read more …
PCUSA News
- A Worship and Music conference with plenty of both on displayJune 27, 2022 When one of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)’s most formidable preachers stands before an auditorium full of the denomination’s most gifted musicians, you’d expect beautiful worship that uplifts and edifies.
- There’s relief in sightJune 27, 2022 When Melonee Tubb graduated from Asbury Theological Seminary in Kentucky with a Master of Divinity degree, she was saddled with $85,000 in student loans.
- Our food system’s unsung heroesJune 27, 2022 Just as Jesus had a special affinity for the marginalized, so must we be in solidarity with people responsible for bringing food to our tables.
- Environmental Justice Committee again backs selective divestmentAfter-hours teamwork helps to wrap up committee’s work June 25, 2022 By Darla Carter, General Assembly News, June 25, 2022 The Environmental Justice Committee of the 225th General Assembly concluded its business on Saturday after creating a revised version of ENV-09 that embraces selective divestment as “the most effective leverage” for holding companies responsible when it […]
Hours after news of the high court’s decision made its way into the Health, Safety, and Benefits committee members’ smartphones, the committee, by wide margins, approved HSB-03, “A Resolution on Reproductive Justice” from the Advocacy Committee for Women’s Concerns, and HSB-11, “On Affirming Reproductive Justice,” a commissioner’s resolution.
The latter included an amendment urging to Board of Pensions “to continue to develop the policies and practices that will ensure that Plan members be able to access reproductive health care and abortion equitably, no matter the state they live in.”
www.pcusa.org/news/2022/6/24/one-ga-committees-response-to-fridays-supreme-cour/
Sunday, June 26, 2022
Worship – In-Person and Streaming at 9:30 a.m. on Sunday morning.
The image is “Karl Barth,” by Dennis E. Simon.
Flannery O’Connor once said, “I like Barth. He’s not afraid to throw the furniture around.” After the betrayal of his teachers in 1914, when they all threw their support behind the Kaiser’s warmongering, Barth refused to settle for conventional wisdom or settled opinion. He would spend the rest of his life demonstrating how God has been, is, and will always remain radically different from us. He relied often on paradox, arguing both that as creatures, we must speak of God, and as creatures, we cannot speak of God. One of his most famous essays is “the Strange New World of the Bible.” We will get a taste of that in the Gospel reading for Sunday. Jesus came among human beings because God so loved the world. Yet the Gospels are clear that he was resisted. How could that be? Join us on Sunday as we contemplate the readings together. Also, please note the announcement about masking during worship on Sundays.
Pastor David
In-Person Worship: Masking is strongly encouraged, especially if you are singing, (masks remain available in the Narthex if you do not have one), but is no longer required. We continue to strongly recommend that you keep up with boosters. Please plan to maintain social distancing and to hand sanitize often. During fellowship time when you are in close proximity to others, masking is highly recommended. If you are feeling unwell for any reason, please remain home and enjoy the services of worship online. Please understand that the pandemic is not yet over and conditions may require a return to masking at some point in the future.
In the Church Offices: Masking remains required when in the church offices.
Join Us for Sunday 9:30 a.m. Worship followed by the Annual Meeting in the Sanctuary and on Zoom
1. Facebook:
www.facebook.com/FirstPresChurchUrbana/
Scroll down to the post from that morning
2. Zoom click on: zoom.us/j/8144246357
Meeting ID: 814 424 6357 (if necessary)
Password 475210
3. Landline or phone that is not a smart phone:
1 (312) 626-6799.
Meeting ID: 814 424 6357 (if necessary)
Password 475210
SUNDAY: Annual Meeting of the Congregation. Session has set this Sunday, June 26 as the day for the Annual Meeting of the Congregation. The meeting will be in the sanctuary and on Zoom following worship. Annual Reports are available in the narthex and were emailed to the congregation earlier this week for advance reading. The meeting includes the election of elders and deacons.
Sunflower Bus Updates: The Sunflower buses continue to run! Establishing bus service inside Ukraine has proven to work well, with many volunteers contributing to its success. The money is going even further. Our church has collected another $2695 in donations, which will be enough to cover costs for two buses all the way from Ukraine to Sweden. Thank you for your ongoing support! The church website continues to accept donations.
Want to catch up on all things GA225? Worship, plenaries, and special events from the first weekend of GA225 are now available on the GA225 website. So, grab your popcorn and revisit your favorite GA moments! ga-pcusa.org/video/ #PCUSA #GA225