Our Blog

Dear friends: October 14

Dear friends,

For me, the month of October is one of the most inspiring months of the year. During October, our entire community of faith spends time in prayerful reflection about God’s grace in our lives and how we express our gratitude through the commitment of our time and resources for ministry. This year we are reflecting on Living and Loving Generously through the lens of I Timothy 6.18,19:

They are to do good, to be rich in good works, generous, and ready to share, thus storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of the life that really is life.

What inspires me so much in October is hearing the stories from within our community of how we, day in and day out, “do good” are “rich in good works, generous” and how we are “ready to share.”  I am using the Stewardship publication Living and Loving Generously as my daily prayer guide. Meditating on the pictures of our community in action and celebrating the impact of our mission and ministry through the inspiring infographics have enriched my prayer life so much this month.

As you continue prayerful reflection on your Christian discipleship as gratitude for God’s grace, I invite you to use the publication you received at home to inspire your own prayer life in these next weeks. If you would like to access the publication digitally, you may use this link.

With gratitude for you and your faithfulness,
Michael Waschevski
Senior Associate Pastor

Dear friends: July 22

How is it possible that we are already nearing the end of July? The summer is flying by!

As you have read in recent editions of the Penn Street Online, the mission and ministry of First Pres remains vibrant all summer long. Seasonal ministries like Mission on the Move, Senior High Mission Trip, Vacation Bible School, Music and Arts Camps, children and youth camps and conferences, and more are woven into the rhythm of the ongoing ministries of Community Crossroads, Christian Nurture, Congregational Care, Fellowship, Evangelism, Mission, and of course, weekly worship. Mission and ministry occur on our Penn Street and Hemphill campuses, through our expanding digital campus, and in locations throughout our city, region, nation, and world. It has been an exciting and faithful summer.

As a new school year quickly approaches, your staff is hard at work finalizing plans for the fall season of ministry. Back to school gatherings, new educational and fellowship opportunities for all ages, expanded digital campus offerings, the annual stewardship emphasis, and so much more will continue to engage and equip us all to live out our calling as disciples of Jesus Christ. Look to the August and September editions of the Penn Street Letter in addition to the weekly Penn Street Online for more information about mission and ministry in the weeks and months ahead and consider how you will be engaged and grow in your own discipleship. I am grateful God has called us all together in the community of faith we know and love as First Pres!

God’s peace,
Michael Waschevski
Senior Associate Pastor