C h u r c h Sc h o o l :9 :1 5 a . m . Su n d a y Wo r sh i p : 10 :4 5 a . m .

110 North Adams Street Tallahassee, Florida 32301 Phone (850) 222-4504 Fax (850) 222-2215

email: office@oldfirstchurch.org w e b s i t e : w w w . o l d fir s t c h u r c h . or g www.facebook.com/oldfirstchurch Pastor’s Blog: b r a n t c o p e l a n d . c o m

CHURCH OFFICE HOURS: 9:00 AM—12:30 PM AND 1:30PM—5:00PM, Monday—Friday

Rebekah Circle

will meet on Tuesday, February 11th at 10:00 am.

Rochelle Davis will host our meeting and

Janet Fixel will lead the Bible study.

The newsletter is prepared on Mondays, including those Mondays that fall on

federal holidays. Please submit items for publication to:

newsletter@oldfirstchurch.org

no later than noon on the Monday of publication.

Early Blooms are on the trees and decorating the tables for our fun, festive Agape Potluck

Lunch! All are invited!! When: Sunday, February 9 Immediately

following the Lord's Day Service Where: Westminster Room Before the worship service, please bring your

potluck items to the kitchen for setup. Remember to label your dishes and lids.

Dessert will be provided!

Activities will include sharing stories with Agape Godly Love examples from the Bible and from our own lives to get to know each other

better. There will be prizes for each ta-ble. Children will have special treats.

Save the Date!

For questions or volunteering for setup/cleanup

contact: Esther Moring 850 524 5717 or Anna Jordan 850 508 7943

AGAPE AGAPE POTLUCK LUNCH

REGISTRATION LINK

As pastor I am supposed to be my congregation’s “resident theologian.” In that role I must comment on the impeachment hearings and the inevitable acquittal of President Trump. The Senate will probably acquit Mr. Trump but they cannot exonerate him.

Only once in my ministry have I called for the resignation of an elected official. That was when I called on President Clinton to resign. At the time I thought his affair with a White House intern and his lying about it made him unfit for office. These days, that conclusion feels downright quaint.

At the heart of Reformed theology is the conviction that God alone is sovereign. All our loyal-ties – personal, political, and familial – are secondary to our loyalty to God. This is the princi-ple which lies at the heart of the Theological Declaration of Barmen, which is part of our Book of Confessions.

By the time Adolph Hitler became chancellor in 1933, “Most Germans took the union of Chris-tianity, nationalism, and militarism for granted, and patriotic sentiments were equated with Christian truth. The German Christians exalted the racially pure nation and the rule of Hitler as God’s will for the German people” (from the introduction to the Declaration).

Over against the “German Christians,” some members of the Lutheran, Reformed, and United churches formed what became known as the “Confessing Church.” In their 1934 Declaration they avowed:

We reject the false doctrine, as though there were areas of our life in which we would not belong to Jesus Christ, but to other lords – areas in which we would not need justification and sanctification through him.

We reject the false doctrine, as though the church were permitted to abandon the form of its message and order to its own pleasure or to changes in prevailing ideological and political convictions.

The courage and moral integrity evident in the Barmen Declaration has been demonstrably lacking in the United States Senate. Certain elected leaders have bowed the knee to another “lord” who is not the Triune God, author of truth and justice.

Where God is not sovereign, false gods arise. Such was the case in Nazi Germany. Such is the case in the United States of America.

May God have mercy on us all.

Pastor’s Column by Brant S. Copeland

Sunday, February 9, 2020

5th Sunday after Epiphany

Isaiah 58:1-12 Psalm 112:1-10

I Corinthians 2:1-16

Matthew 5:13-20

Lectionary Readings

Did you know...We have two separate prayer ministries, and invite you to participate in either, or both. You are not limited to asking for prayers for yourself, but when the prayer requests involves another individual, please get permission from the per-son concerned before submitting his or her name.

To have a prayer concern read aloud during worship, you can call the office during the week (850-222-4504), speak to Brant before worship, or speak directly to the person who will be reading prayer concerns on any given Sunday — just look for the person holding a clipboard. You can ask for the concern to be shared just once, or it can repeat from week to week as long as it is needed.

In addition to the weekly prayer list, we have a separate prayer chain that responds privately to specific needs at any time. Debbie Gibson (gibsond1207@gmail.com) coordinates this ministry. You are invited to contact Debbie whenever there is a spe-cific need and desire for prayer. It might be for someone who is anticipating surgery or recovering from illness; it might be for someone preparing for a job interview; it might be thanksgiving for the birth of a child or an anniversary; it could be that you're simply going through a tough time. Once Debbie knows of a need, it will be relayed to the prayer chain for the volunteers in that ministry to hold up the specific concerns or celebrations in prayer for as long as is needed.

A request for the prayer chain can also be read aloud in worship, but we'll only add it to the Sunday morning list if you let us know that's

what you want.

PRAYER MINISTRY

Please register asap! Childcare will be provided for registered participants from 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

YOUTH GROUP

February 9, 2020 6:00 - 7:30 p.m. at Fellowship

Presbyterian Church

Let’s JUMP IN to our understanding of being present

with those in need. We will do some hands-on

activities that include ways to show love to people in our

community at Valentine’s Day.

AGAPE

Our nursery and preschool rooms are

staffed by childcare providers from the

Heavenly Helpers Agency. These child-

care professionals are background

checked and trained in infant/child first

aid and CPR. They are present in both

rooms from 9:00 a.m. – Noon each Sun-

day.

Main Floor Nursery: Our nursery is for

infants and toddlers up to two years old.

Parents can drop children off beginning

at 9:00 a.m. and children will be cared

for through the worship hour. There is a

sign in sheet for parents to list who will

be picking their child up, an emergency

phone number and any particular needs

the child may have while in the church’s

care. Children should come with a bottle

or sippy cup, preferred snack and dia-

pers. Diaper wipes and additional snacks

are available.

Preschool Care: Beginning at age two,

children go to the third floor preschool

room. Drop-off begins at 9:00 a.m. and

children are cared for through the wor-

ship hour. There is a sign in sheet for

parents. Snacks are provided.

ADULT SUNDAY SCHOOL CLASSES

February 9, 2020

9:15 a.m.

Adult Bible Study Class

Room 202-Calvin Room

The Adult Bible Class will meet with Inquirer’s Class to hear Dr. David Levenson’s final lec-

ture/discussion on anti-Semitism. On Feb. 16 we will meet back in the Calvin Room to begin

our study of the letters of John.

Hearing the Word Room 205-Conference Room

With the Bible in one hand and the news-paper in the other, class members share

their experiences with one another as they discuss living out their faith.

Inquirers’ Class

Room 208—Westminster Room

Professor David Levenson FSU Religion Department New Testament Scholar

returns to lead our third and final session about “classical” and “contemporary” anti-

Judaism. Our focus this week is antisemitism today. All are welcome to what is sure to be an informative and engaging conversation.

First Presbyterian Church February 2020

Date Time Event Location Comments

Sunday

Schedule 9:00 AM Nursery Opens

Education Bldg.

Care for children last through the worship hour.

10:45 AM Lord's Day Service Sanctuary All are welcome.

Wednesdays 7:30 P.M. Choir Practice Choir Room The Adult Choir meets each

Wednesday.

Sat. 8th 9:00 A.M.

4:30 P.M.

Trust Women

All Day Conference Westminster Room

Register by emailing

christy@oldfirstchurch.org

Sun. 9th Noon Agape Potluck

Luncheon Westminster Room

Mon. 10th 6:00 P.M. Ministry Night Ed. Bldg.\

Westminster Room

Join us for Dinner and

Ministry Team Meetings

Sun. 16th Noon Session Meeting Westminster Room

Sun. 23rd Noon PW Winter Gathering Westminster Room

Wed. 26th Ash Wednesday Sanctuary Time of Service: TBA