Dr. Baron Mullis will lead a midweek lunchtime Bible study. These weekly “Bible Breaks with Baron,” held on Tuesdays at 12:15, are short (~30 minute) lessons on some of the Biblical texts that have been used to marginalize people through the years.  These studies are background learning for a revised program on unconscious bias that we will offer later this fall.

At First Church, we celebrate interfaith dialogue and understanding.  We customarily have gathered with persons of many faiths for our Thanksgiving service with other Rittenhouse Square congregations.  And yet, some in the Christian Church believe persons of other faiths should be converted.  Why?  And how might we Presbyterians answer their claims.

These Bible studies will be held via Zoom; registration is required. Register below:

Zoom is a free video-conferencing tool that you can use from any computer or mobile device.  You can also participate using audio-only by dialing in with a standard telephone.

Dr. Baron Mullis will lead a midweek lunchtime Bible study. These weekly “Bible Breaks with Baron,” held on Tuesdays at 12:15, are short (~30 minute) lessons on some of the Biblical texts that have been used to marginalize people through the years.  These studies are background learning for a revised program on unconscious bias that we will offer later this fall.

Howard Thurman tells the story that his grandmother never wanted to hear anything read from the Bible from the Apostle Paul, because the slave owner’s pastor always preached on those passages.  Yet, the enslavement of people has been viewed morally wrong by Christians since well before the Emancipation Proclamation.  How could the church support slavery in the past?

These Bible studies will be held via Zoom; registration is required. Register below:

Zoom is a free video-conferencing tool that you can use from any computer or mobile device.  You can also participate using audio-only by dialing in with a standard telephone.

Dr. Baron Mullis will lead a midweek lunchtime Bible study. These weekly “Bible Breaks with Baron,” held on Tuesdays at 12:15, are short (~30 minute) lessons on some of the Biblical texts that have been used to marginalize people through the years.  These studies are background learning for a revised program on unconscious bias that we will offer later this fall.

LGBTQ persons have been fully included in the ministries of the PCUSA since 2012, and Same-Gender marriage has been celebrated since 2014.  But many denominations do not join the Presbyterians in these affirmations.  What texts do they rely on to make their case, and how do we see those text.  We will look at selections from the Letters of Paul, and briefly discuss passages from the Old Testament.

These Bible studies will be held via Zoom; registration is required. Register below, or email the church office.

Zoom is a free video-conferencing tool that you can use from any computer or mobile device.  You can also participate using audio-only by dialing in with a standard telephone.

Dr. Baron Mullis will lead a midweek lunchtime Bible study. These weekly “Bible Breaks with Baron,” held on Tuesdays at 12:15, are short (~30 minute) lessons on some of the Biblical texts that have been used to marginalize people through the years.  These studies are background learning for a revised program on unconscious bias that we will offer later this fall.

Presbyterians celebrate the gifts of women in leadership, but some other denominations do not. This week, we’ll explore how the Bible has been used to prevent women from being ordained, and we’ll look at how Presbyterians answer those texts. We will briefly explore passages from Titus, 1 Timothy, and Ephesians and, if we have time, Genesis. 

These Bible studies will be held via Zoom; registration is required. Register below, or email the church office.

Zoom is a free video-conferencing tool that you can use from any computer or mobile device.  You can also participate using audio-only by dialing in with a standard telephone.

Barbara Chaapel leads an online lectio divina study of the lectionary texts for the following Sundays. Each session will include hearing the text, input from Barbara about the context of the passage in the Bible, responding to short prompts, quiet reflection, and sharing about the text as it intersects with our lives. 

The text for August 12 is Matthew 15:21-28.

Join us whether you have done lectio divina before, or try it if you want to experience a new way of listening to scripture.  For more information, please contact Barbara Chaapel.

For our online study, we are using Zoom a free video-conferencing tool that you can use from any computer or mobile device.  You can also participate using audio-only by dialing in with a standard telephone.

Barbara Chaapel leads an online lectio divina study of the lectionary texts for the following Sundays. Each session will include hearing the text, input from Barbara about the context of the passage in the Bible, responding to short prompts, quiet reflection, and sharing about the text as it intersects with our lives. 

The text for August 5 is Matthew 14:22-33.

Join us whether you have done lectio divina before, or try it if you want to experience a new way of listening to scripture.  For more information, please contact Barbara Chaapel.

For our online study, we are using Zoom a free video-conferencing tool that you can use from any computer or mobile device.  You can also participate using audio-only by dialing in with a standard telephone.

Barbara Chaapel leads an online lectio divina study of the lectionary texts for the following Sundays. Each session will include hearing the text, input from Barbara about the context of the passage in the Bible, responding to short prompts, quiet reflection, and sharing about the text as it intersects with our lives. 

The text for July 29 is Matthew 14:13-21.

Join us whether you have done lectio divina before, or try it if you want to experience a new way of listening to scripture.  For more information, please contact Barbara Chaapel.

For our online study, we are using Zoom a free video-conferencing tool that you can use from any computer or mobile device.  You can also participate using audio-only by dialing in with a standard telephone.

Barbara Chaapel leads an online lectio divina study of the lectionary texts for the following Sundays. Each session will include hearing the text, input from Barbara about the context of the passage in the Bible, responding to short prompts, quiet reflection, and sharing about the text as it intersects with our lives. 

The text for July 22 is Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52.

Join us whether you have done lectio divina before, or try it if you want to experience a new way of listening to scripture.  For more information, please contact Barbara Chaapel.

For our online study, we are using Zoom a free video-conferencing tool that you can use from any computer or mobile device.  You can also participate using audio-only by dialing in with a standard telephone.

First Church is offering a new series called Pioneer Women Reflect on Women in the Bible.  The weekly series will be offered as videos on our website, with an installment posted each Wednesday evening.

This week’s reflection on the Miriam (Exodus 15) is offered by Kathleen McVey, Joseph Ross Stevenson Professor Emerita of Church History at Princeton Theological Seminary.

On the three Wednesdays evenings after Easter at 7:00 PM—April 15, 22, and 29—Barbara Chaapel will offer an online lectio divina experience focusing on the gospel texts for the Sundays in Eastertide. All are welcome to share our spiritual journeys in Eastertide through scripture.

To let us know you would like to participate, please email office@fpcphila.org, and you will be sent directions on how to join the Zoom meeting on your phone or computer.

Lectio divina offers the chance to invite the Spirit to enlighten our hearts and discern God’s will for us. This will be opportunity for us to read the text together and to share our responses and the connections we make between the scripture text and our lives, and to be in prayer together.

All are welcome, so if there are others in the congregation you think would appreciate this opportunity, please reach out to them.

The text for April 29 is John 10:1-10.

On the three Wednesdays evenings after Easter at 7:00 PM—April 15, 22, and 29—Barbara Chaapel will offer an online lectio divina experience focusing on the gospel texts for the Sundays in Eastertide. All are welcome to share our spiritual journeys in Eastertide through scripture.

To let us know you would like to participate, please email office@fpcphila.org, and you will be sent directions on how to join the Zoom meeting on your phone or computer.

Lectio divina offers the chance to invite the Spirit to enlighten our hearts and discern God’s will for us. This will be opportunity for us to read the text together and to share our responses and the connections we make between the scripture text and our lives, and to be in prayer together.

All are welcome, so if there are others in the congregation you think would appreciate this opportunity, please reach out to them.

The text for April 15 is John 20:19-29; The text for April 22 is Luke 24:13-35; The text for April 29 is John 10:1-10.

On the three Wednesdays evenings after Easter at 7:00 PM—April 15, 22, and 29—Barbara Chaapel will offer an online lectio divina experience focusing on the gospel texts for the Sundays in Eastertide. All are welcome to share our spiritual journeys in Eastertide through scripture.

To let us know you would like to participate, please email office@fpcphila.org, and you will be sent directions on how to join the Zoom meeting on your phone or computer.

Lectio divina offers the chance to invite the Spirit to enlighten our hearts and discern God’s will for us. This will be opportunity for us to read the text together and to share our responses and the connections we make between the scripture text and our lives, and to be in prayer together.

All are welcome, so if there are others in the congregation you think would appreciate this opportunity, please reach out to them.

The text for April 15 is John 20:19-29; The text for April 22 is Luke 24:13-35; The text for April 29 is John 10:1-10.